Meet Ganesh Shanbhag, the man tackling Bengaluru’s water shortage and waste

Come summer, and cities across the country face the brunt of poor urban planning: water shortages, rising temperatures, and power cuts. Eight years ago, amidst a similar scorching summer, Bengaluru-based Ganesh Shanbhag decided to do something about this. An engineering manager by day, Ganesh turned into an environmentalist in 2018 when Begur Lake was drained out “in the name of restoration” and borewells across the city went dry. “As usual, we switched to tankers and I grew conscious of the need to be more sustainable about water. Thus, the calculations to harvest about 1500mm of rain in Bengaluru began,” says Ganesh, who went on to develop an economical Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) model for Bengaluru.

Ganesh Shanbhag 
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

He kickstarted a RWH model under ₹3 lakh for an apartment complex comprising 100 units, and converted rainwater into potable drinking water. Within months, this model saw success with reduced dependence on water tankers and lower water bills. “An apartment complex in North Bengaluru is no longer relying on tankers and is self-sufficient with the harvested water, and several complexes across the city have been converting RWH water into potable water and are also treating all wet waste on site,” adds Ganesh. 

Workers setting up a waste management unit in an apartment
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Rainwater harvesting aside, the environmentalist also encourages people to use surface run off water for recharging or potability after tertiary treatment. “I also train people to set up natural and simple sewage treatment units, grey water filtering units for individual homes, and turn excess treated water into drinking water,” says Ganesh, who ties up with resident welfare associations to set up these systems.

If residents or associations would like to reach out to set up similar systems in their apartment complexes, Ganesh suggests they first understand the volume of demand (for water) and the current supply. “It is important to understand the source of supply and its associated carbon footprint. Once the existing supply is identified, it’s necessary to understand the potential impact of harvesting rain water and how much savings they can achieve with sustainable practices. Once economics comes into place, it’s easier to get going.” On an average, he says a RWH setup for a 100-unit apartment would cost around ₹5-8 lakhs.

A waste management unit in an apartment
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

His work in water conservation aside, he is also known for his efforts towards tackling urban solid waste. “I also help communities manage their solid waste, develop in-situ composting solutions, and set up community level recycling of dry waste, and green building design.” He starts off by analysing the volume of waste generated in each apartment and then plans the number of composting units they would need to handle wet waste. “I also analyse the incinerator capacity needed to tackle sanitary waste. Dry waste is given to a network of local recyclers.”

This year, Ganesh is keen to dedicate more time to solid waste management at the community level. “Bengaluru as a city is about to generate 14,000 tonnes of solid waste every day in the next five years. We need to plan for it today.”

To get in touch, message @GaneshUShanbhag on X