Bengaluru scientist AR Shivakumar foresaw India’s water crisis decades ago and turned his own home into a living model of sustainable water management.
In 1995, while building his house ‘Sourabha’, he designed a rainwater harvesting system to make seasonal rainfall last the entire year.
He analysed 100 years of Bengaluru rainfall data along with household water usage and bills before designing the system.
His insight: the city receives enough rain — the real issue is storage, planning, and preventing water wastage.
Shivakumar built multiple rooftop tanks storing nearly 45,000 litres, ensuring enough supply through dry months.
Water is stored on rooftops so it flows by gravity — eliminating the need for motors and saving electricity.
He patented an innovative ‘Pop-Up Filter’ using a silver sheet to remove impurities before water enters the home.
For larger buildings, he designed a ‘First Flush Lock & Diverter’ to keep initial dirty rainwater out of storage systems.
Percolation pits around his home recharge groundwater — raising the water table from 200 ft deep to just 5–10 ft today.
Greywater recycling is key: washing machine water flushes toilets, while kitchen wastewater nourishes the garden.
He has implemented rainwater harvesting across Bengaluru — from Vidhana Soudha and High Court to offices and housing societies.
Thousands of plumbers, contractors, architects, and government teams have been trained by him to adopt sustainable water practices.
He helped push Karnataka’s policy mandating rainwater harvesting for large properties — shaping urban water conservation.
Despite getting a municipal connection during poor rains last year, he still hasn’t used it. His message: “Catch the rain wherever and whenever it falls.”