Bodhi: A simple yet elegant method of conserving water.

Bodhi, which means awareness was founded by Mrs. Mala and Mr. Pradeep Sinha in 1984. It is located in the city of Baroda, India and other than providing one with a truly spectacular display of traditional and contemporary clothing, they also educate one about how they recycle runoff water from their printing process to use for there on site activities. This need, to recycle the water surfaced as a result of the lack of water and the significance of water in Textile Chemistry. Hence, they took up the task to recycle the water themselves.

During our visit to Bodhi, we were undoubtedly amazed by the effort the couple has put in to recycle runoff water in an atypical way. At Bodhi, Mr. and Mrs. Sinha first neutralise the waste water collected from their textile printing activities. This neutralisation process from a sludge that settles at the bottom of the tank and there is water at the top it it. Some may believe that neutralising the water is enough. However, there are many steps required to completely process the runoff water. The water after neutralisation is still unfit for discharge because of the lack of oxygen in it. If discharged into soil, it would reduce the oxygen content of that very location and this would prove to be deleterious and negatively affect the life in that ecosystem. Although there are multiple methods to introduce oxygen into the water, they are not cost-effective. Therefore, they devised a simpler and more elegant method for the same and has been successful for over 10 years.

They make use of nature to treat the water. Thus its name, ‘Bio-Remidiation.’ The sludge and water are firstly separated from each other. Then, the water is put into a growing medium of Kena/Canna plantation. Not only do the microorganisms in the plantation break down the complex molecules which further reduce the oxygen demand in the water, but also filter it to remove any other contaminant. This is possible because of the various layers of sand and pebbles of different sizes. The plantation’s health showcases the health of the system. Mr. Sinha also said,’ You can not have one thing living isolation living but you need to create an ecosystem.’ To add to his thought, the plantation’s roots prove to be beneficial for the microorganisms that help the water. He also suggested the ‘Khus Khus’ roots to be helpful as well.

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This is the sludge collected after the neutralising and Bio-Remidiation process of the wastewater.

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This is the plantation at Bodhi.

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Above is a picture of the tank where the water is collected after it has been filtered through the plantation.

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The water is then collected after passing it through the plantation and used for numerous activities on site. In addition to that, they make use of four massive water tanks that harvest rain water and ensure there is no unnecessary flowing water on site. Even though this systems to be rather complex as to how nature’s magic improves the water, it is yet so magnificent and an absolutely exceptional method of conserving water and improving this crucial problem of water scarcity. If this was done by as many people as possible, just imagine the amount of water we can save collectively?

What do you do at home that saves water and how do you think you can contribute to alleviate this problem of water scarcity? Let us know in the comments below and spread the word. #SaveItTraditionally.