Vrishabhavati Valley – Guided Citizen Audit

On February 7th, MOD Foundation, along with Oorvani Foundation, conducted the third guided citizen audit in the Vrishabhavathi Valley.

Fifteen enthusiastic citizens from across the city gathered near the Vrishabhavathi River to document and observe its condition. This audit offered a strikingly different experience from our previous walks in Ulsoor and HSR Layout—the river’s immediate surroundings varied drastically across the 1.5 km stretch we documented.

Downstream, we found two well-maintained public parks within the river’s buffer zone: the Nagarbhavi Teacher’s Layout Park and a BBMP park renovated in 2018. Both were actively used by residents, and in the renovated park, we discovered an abandoned recharge well and trough—evidence of the community’s attempts to recharge the aquifer.

Further upstream, as we approached the Outer Ring Road, the river lost its buffer entirely. Houses, colleges, and commercial buildings abutted its edge. Sewage from these structures flowed directly into the river, and heaps of solid waste gathered against broken retaining walls inside the river.

The audit sparked deeper questions and heightened our awareness of the stormwater systems surrounding us. Stay tuned for blog posts from volunteers sharing their observations and experiences. The data collected will soon be accessible on our upcoming dashboard.

Participants:

Madhuri Mandava, Divya Puramshetty , Aihika sharma, Richa, Nikhil Nayak , Adith D H, Harinath, Akshat kumar, Jishnu Ravindran, Lakshmi Hegde , Bharat, Angel

Facilitators:
Mod Foundation
Aliza Sherwani
Nikhila Gudipati
Pratiksha Prabhakar
Sonia Das