BENGALURU: When it pours, it floods. What do you with all this water which may go into gutters or drains or even lay stagnant on the roads? Bengaluru is a good example where floods do more harm than good.
To break the cycle of floods during rains and severe water shortage during summers in the city, researchers at the Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, are finding a fix.
This comes in the form of ‘urban flood model’, a three-year project, sponsored by various organisations. At present, a sub-surface level mapping is under way, where the team will identify potential zones for groundwater recharge and suggest areas where porous pavements can be set up.
These pavements will have multiple layers top-down -- wear layer (which will have a different sand to cement ratio for percolation of water), a bedding layer, geotextile, reservoir or base layer, and another geotextile layer beneath. With a proper filteration method, the water can also be made potable, said post-doctoral research associate Dr Kaushik G S, Water Resources ans Environmental Engineering, IISc.
A pilot of this model was already held at IISc, and the lake was recharged, causing a healthy vegetation growth, he added.
What comes as a challenge to these researchers is the lack of data in deciphering the depth of the lakes. This also will be mapped as part of the project.An app will also be developed for disaster management for Bengaluru, said Kaushik.
The project is sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology and is being studied in collaboration with the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy and Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology among other organisations. The model was displayed at the Open Day at IISc.
IISc has been running a tertiary treatment plant for xix years and using the water for non- potable purposes, Prof M S Mohan Kumar, Water Resources and Envirnmental Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, earlier told The New Indian Express.
Quake-proof buildings
Even as buildings have collapsed like a pack of cards frequently in urban areas, scientists and researchers at IISc are working towards foolproofing these multi-storeyed high-rise buildings. Students of Civil Engineering have built their model by merging real time analysis with computer model analysis of the building.