Come Sept 22, run for our own ‘Thames’

BENGALURU: If you are travelling on Mysuru Road, first the stench hits you and then you notice a stream of sewage water running besides the road for kilometres. The froth and stink makes you cover your nose, but this is Bengaluru’s own Vrushabhavathi river.

People in areas around Mysuru Road still remember their parents and grandparents telling them about going for a swim in the river. Crystal clear waters from the river were offered for ‘abhisheka’ of the main idol of the famous Gaali Anjaneya temple, which is on the banks of the river.

Onslaught of industrialisation and concretisation has reduced the river to a gutter over the last many decades. Now, there is a ray of hope. Twenty-two organisations have come together to put up efforts to turn the gutter into a river.

A seminar was organised in the city to chalk out a plan for the revival, and the participants concluded that it is possible to revive Vrushabhavathi with the amount of rainfall the city gets.  

Mr Chakravarthy Sulibele, the founder of Yuva Brigade – which has taken up the cause, said that they have organised a ‘Run for Vrushabhavathi’ on September 22. Likeminded people and volunteers will start the run from Ganapathi temple in Kengeri Satellite Town that will culminate at Jnanabharathi campus.

“The revival of Vrushabhavathi river will be done in a phased manner. First we want to remind Bengalureans that there is a proper river flowing within our city, exactly like the Thames in London and it too can be revived. Later, 22 organisations with volunteers and NSS cadres will start working towards its revival,” Mr Chakravarthy explained.

Water expert Radhakrishna Badthi said that there are instances of rivers being revived in hilly terrains of Rajasthan with scanty rainfall. As compared to that, revival of Vrushabhavathi river which gets 970 mm of rainfall annually should not even be a challenge, he said.

The origins: The Vrushabhavathi river takes birth under the feet of Dodda Basavanna in Basavanagudi. After streams coming from Kadu Malleshwara temple and Sankey Tank join it, Vrushabhavathi becomes a full-fledged river.

Bengaluru which had 68 per cent green cover now has only 15 per cent. Industrial, chemical and human waste are choking the river and people have started calling it Kengeri gutter.

Bengaluru is now totally dependent on Cauvery water. Plans are being discussed to bring water to the city from Sharavathi and Aghanashini rivers from different districts with projects running into thousands of crores.

“No one is thinking of reviving the city’s own river. It could be a solution to Bengaluru’s water woes,” Mr Chakravarthy Sulibele explains.

The run for Vrushabhavathi starts at 7 am on Sept. 22 from the Ganapathy temple in Kengeri. If you want to take part in the run, call 96860 49412.