AR Shivakumar has not paid his water bill in nearly 22 years.
Not because he has been evading it, but because his house is not even connected to his city’s water supply chain. The house’s ingenious rainwater-based water supply system and eco-friendly initiatives have meant that Mr Shivakumar’s family spends very little money on amenities like water, cooling, and electricity.
Sourabha, a haven of self-sufficiency and inspiration
AR Shivakumar is a resident of Bengaluru. He is a scientist and Senior Fellow at the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The Logical Indian recently interviewed Mr Shivakumar to ask about how he has managed to build an ecosystem that thrives while using natural resources for most basic amenities and functions.
His house is named Sourabha. It is a plot 2400 sq ft in area. It is self-sufficient in many ways. Rainwater is stored for an entire year on the roof so that it can be used. As mentioned before, the family does not have the city’s water supply – the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) supply.
“Our house is environmentally responsible,” Mr Shivakumar says. “We use only the available natural resources to meet our daily needs. For example, our water requirements are met by efficient rainwater harvesting and excess water goes into groundwater recharge. Secondly, we don’t throw away garbage. The organic waste in our plot is managed with the utilisation of earthworms and leaf-eaters. Thirdly, we have many energy-saving services. In our house we very rarely use fans – or any cooling systems for that matter. The house is built in such a fashion that the heat that enters the building is low. The walls of our house, for instance, are like those a thermos flask. There are air gaps in the walls so that heat escapes. Furthermore, the roof is painted white so that the heat gets deflected.”
Of green curtains and efficient rainwater filters
The house’s windows and ventilators are built in such a fashion that smoke and dust always passes through (and gets automatically filtered by) the green curtain that surrounds the house. “We have plenty of plants, trees, and creepers around the house so that air does not directly enter our house. There are also many water bodies near the house; these bodies add moisture to the air. So when the air finally enters the house, it is cool and pleasant. As such, most of the time we don’t need a fan or any cooling system.”
The first-floor roof tank of Mr Shivakumar’s house has a 5,000-litre capacity. On the ground floor, there is another 5,000-litre capacity tank. There is a 25,000-litre capacity tank on Sourabha’s entrance portico, and another 10,000-litre tank in the garage, car parking area. Each of these voluminous tanks has a pop-up filter, which was designed by Mr Shivakumar (he has a patent for it). “This filter is a rooftop rainwater filter. It separates dust, bird droppings, and leaves to give you clean water – water that you can store in tanks.”
Sunlight everywhere and smart wastewater reuse
Sourabha also has a solar water heater, a solar lighting system, and energy conservation systems. These provide lighting for the entire house. There is a skylight in the roof through which sunlight floods the house during the day. Strategically-placed mirrors reflect the sunlight into every nook and corner of the house. Thus, the house does not need any artificial light during the day.
“In addition to this,” Mr Shivakumar told The Logical Indian, “we also have water recycling systems to facilitate the reuse of water. Water from the washing machine is stored, for example, and pumped up to the roof for treatment. There, we store the used water and it is later used for toilet flushing. Another way we conserve water is by ensuring that the kitchen water goes into a system where it is collected and subsequently used to water the plants and trees around the house – the green curtain. This is a good practice because kitchen water is enriched water, with minerals and proteins, and will support the plants and trees for better growth.”
Bengaluru gets approximately 40 inches or 1000 mm of rainfall; this translates to around 2 lakh litres of water. A family of 4 to 5 can sustain on around 1.5 lakh litres of water; therefore, the potential of rainwater harvesting is enormous.
Less water, less energy, zero environmental damage, highly economical
Sourabha uses less water, less energy, and doesn’t inflict any damage on the environment. “The trees, the bushes, and the plants around us are home to many insects, butterflies, birds and so on. We have created a microenvironment, and this has helped make our house more pleasant and not depend on conventional systems of water supply or electricity supply from outside. Nature provides for most of our needs.”
All of these features are highly economical. They can easily be employed in a low-cost house built primarily an…
