Anand Malligavad turned to centuries-old knowledge to reclaim dozens of lakes in the high-tech capital of Bengaluru. Now, he is in demand across India, one of the world’s most water-stressed nations.
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As he began his project, Mr. Malligavad turned to the knowledge left behind in records from the Chola dynasty that, starting about 1,500 years ago, ruled the surrounding Deccan Plateau for five centuries and built a sprawling, self-sustaining network of irrigation lakes.
After four months of studying the Chola methods — including how to trap silt and sludge using carved stones, which need no maintenance — he won a $100,000 corporate social responsibility grant from his company for the cleanup project.
Six months later, after the monsoon season, he was boating in the clean water of the lake, amid ducks and migratory birds, with the same friends who had helped pull him out of the once-filthy spot.
At one of his recent Bengaluru reclamation projects, largely funded by nonprofits, Mr. Malligavad’s team was separating plastic litter from water in a canal flowing into Maragondanahalli Lake.
On a recent morning, accompanied by a New York Times reporter, Mr. Malligavad sat with a dozen workers, educating them about the natural ways of cleaning wastewater, when a band of men armed with machetes and bamboo sticks ordered him to desist.
On a recent evening, Mr. Malligavad was walking on Church Street, an upscale market in Bengaluru popular for its roadside cafes and bookstores, when a group of college students recognized him.
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