Jakkur Lake and Zen Rainman's Peaceful Abode

Day 11 of our stay here in Bangalore began with a visit to the Jakkur Lake, a manmade lake in northern Bangalore. We were greeted by Dr. Annapurna Kamath, a wildlife and ecosystem activist who led us on a 5k walk and talk around the perimeter of the lake.

Day 11 of our stay here in Bangalore began with a visit to the Jakkur Lake, a manmade lake in northern Bangalore. We were greeted by Dr. Annapurna Kamath, a wildlife and ecosystem activist who led us on a 5k walk and talk around the perimeter of the lake.

While the lake has been ridden with human waste since its construction, the local community along with organizations such as Biome have been playing an active role in its revitalization. The lake itself uses a hybrid system of filtration, first using a traditional wastewater treatment plant for the incoming greywater. This filtered water is then passed through a manmade wetland before it is able to reach the body of the lake. The efforts of organizations such as Biome, along with the local community, are apparent, as we saw and heard a rich flora and fauna of birds, bamboo/acacia trees, and even pelicans.

After our long walk around Jakkur, we visited the beautiful home of Vishwanath S. (@zenrainman). Designed by Vishwanath’s wife, a practicing architect and painter, the house was constructed with the goal of achieving absolute self-sustainability. Atop of the quaint brick home, sits an elaborate ecosystem of rainwater collection systems, filtration tanks, and sprawling green vegetation. While the rooftop plants create a beautiful aesthetic to the rooftop terrace, they double as natural filtration systems which allow the filtered greywater to pass through in order to remove any remaining nitrates and phosphates. The house itself was constructed using only the soils and natural clays extracted from the base of the house. Vishwanath and his wife have moved on to help many others use similar construction tactics to create sustainable homes within their neighborhood.

Aside from our project work and site visits, all of us have taken advantage of our unplanned evenings to bond over some delicious food and karaoke. I look forward to a weekend away from the city in our countryside homestay in Sakleshpur.

-Bryce R.