Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌦️ Today’s weather: Cloudy and breezy with sunny intervals and a spot of thunderstorm.
🧐 Did you know? The University of Agricultural Sciences began as a 30-acre Experimental Agricultural Station at Hebbal.
🚨 Citizen collaboration in law enforcement
A new community hub will unite citizens, organisations, and law enforcement officers.
What’s it about? Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW) is launching a Community Engagement and Training Center at Koramangala Police Station. Shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, it aims to be a community hub, join forces with Bangalore City Police, tackle future outbreaks, and involve multi-level stakeholders.
- It will organise training programs, meetings, and strategic plans to cultivate effective community engagement.
- It can accommodate 100 individuals. Besides being sustainable, the hub’s architecture is functional in allowing thermal and acoustic comfort.
Citizen participation: The Deputy Commissioner of Police, CK Baba, expressed his excitement for the new community centre. He praised BGSW for its commitment to community collaboration and bolstering the relationship between law enforcement and citizens in Bengaluru.
🌧️ Do you even harvest, bro?
Many households in Bengaluru are neglecting rainwater harvesting despite its benefits.
The problem: Despite the monsoon gaining momentum in Bengaluru, many households neglect rainwater harvesting (RWH). Data from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) reveals that only 10% of the city’s properties (1,88,433 out of 19 lakh) have implemented RWH systems.
- Fines from people yet to install RWH systems total ₹1.96 crore. In 2009, the BWSSB mandated new constructions on plots measuring 30×40 feet to recharge rainwater or store it.
- In 2021, the BWSSB passed the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage (Amendment) Act, making it compulsory for all constructions on plots measuring 60×40 feet, even those made before 2009, to have RWH systems.
Good news: Some companies, like Hinren Engineering, are witnessing a surge in demand for rainwater harvesting systems in Bengaluru. Sunil Mysore, the founder, notes a higher interest this year, with 7-8 weekly requests compared to the usual 4-5.
- By harvesting rainwater, a 100 sq ft property can save 80,000 litres annually, while larger catchment areas can preserve even more water.
🔎 Understanding Indian monsoons better
A 2018 study could help Bengaluru’s researchers predict seasonal rainfall better than before.
What’s it about? IISc researchers are delving into a 2018 study to assess the impact of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on India’s summer monsoon rainfall. Led by Professor Arindam Chakraborty, the study quantifies monsoon variations influenced by ENSO during both winter and summer—a first! These findings can enhance climate studies spanning millennia and help predict seasonal rainfall better.
- In the previous winter, La Nina reduced Indian summer rainfall by 4%. Its greatest impact was during the El Nino summer, causing 14.5% less rain and raising drought risk.
- For the first time, La Nina’s spatial variations were discovered, wherein it led to reduced rainfall primarily in the west and south regions in the previous winter.
How much data? Monsoon rainfall forecasting in India remains complex, despite better data accuracy. Professor J Srinivasan from IISc believes studying climate over millennia is crucial to understand the impact of climate change variables like warmer oceans. Machine learning has potential but demands extensive data.
🤝 Improving the lives of marginalised groups
Rebuild India Fund, an initiative to enhance strategic philanthropy, organised a workshop for grassroots NGOs.
Story so far: Last week, the Rebuild India Fund held a workshop in Bengaluru for community-led NGO partners. Eighteen grassroots NGOs from nine states convened at the 4-day conference aiming to enhance the institutional capacity of entities supporting marginalised groups.
- It was organised at the School of Ancient Wisdom. The group discussed managing compliance, fundraising, well-being, creating safe and inclusive workspaces, and inter-sector partnerships.
- The leaders shared personal journeys and discovered that India’s non-profit sector’s GDP contribution rivals the defence sector’s.
Catalysing non-profits: Dasra’s Rebuild India Fund is a strategic philanthropy initiative aimed at transforming a billion lives with dignity and equity. Comprising 74 organisations, it already impacts over six million people across India.
- Over the next five years, Rebuild will support 500 community-led NGOs affected by the pandemic and facing funding challenges.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Create your own jewellery at this workshop on Saturday at Lahe Lahe.
- Sing your tribute to Queen during Kapow!’s show at the Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday.
- Splurge at India’s largest book fair before it ends on Sunday.
- Travel the world one bite at a time at the Global Table Adventure.
- Catch Aaditya Kulshreshth aka Kullu’s stand-up show Smooth Kullu Smooth.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I have worked out of a coworking space: 33.3%
- I haven’t worked out of a coworking space: 66.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s an underrated achievement of Bengaluru not talked about enough?
Rathindranath: “We are all beta testers of most of the newly launched start-ups and their apps. (In other words, our voices and reviews matter and it shows instant results)”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!