Season 1 of The WELL Labs Show comes to a close.

Across 15 episodes, we explored conversations on water, environment, land, and livelihoods with guests from different disciplines and experiences. Thank you for listening, watching, and being part of these conversations. If you have suggestions for future guests or topics, we would love to hear from you!

We hope to share Season 2 with you in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Socio-hydrologist Veena Srinivasan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/veenasrinivasan/?originalSubdomain=in) joins host Pavan Srinath (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavansrinath/?originalSubdomain=in) to unpack the chemistry and biology of Bengaluru’s lakes — and why lake rejuvenation cannot succeed unless we understand what sewage, nutrients, algae, wetlands and lake design are doing inside these water bodies.

Bengaluru’s surviving lakes are not pristine blue water bodies. They receive stormwater, sewage, treated wastewater, nutrients, silt, sludge and runoff from dense urban neighbourhoods. In this episode of The WELL Labs Show, Veena explains how these inputs change the chemistry of lakes and, in turn, shape the biology that survives inside them.

Veena explains why small amounts of phosphorus can destabilise a lake, why bioenzymes may offer only temporary relief, and why proper wastewater treatment, nutrient removal and right-sized wetlands matter.

The conversation then turns to lake rejuvenation. What does it take to bring a polluted lake back to life? Can desilting or desludging reset a lake? Why do shallow zones, reed beds, bird islands and buffer zones matter? And how should cities think about lakes not only as water storage structures, but also as ecological spaces, flood buffers, recharge zones and some of the last remaining green spaces in dense urban landscapes?

Veena Srinivasan (https://welllabs.org/veena-srinivasan/) is leading WELL Labs’ mission to transform scientific research into real-world impact by designing solutions that simultaneously create livelihoods and conserve the environment. In 2022, she was listed as one of the top-cited scientists in the world.

Pavan Srinath (https://welllabs.org/our-team-pavan-srinath/) is the Managing Partner for Communications and Development at WELL Labs. Pavan is a communications and public policy professional who has spent over 14 years working in Bangalore's not-for-profit sector.

This episode is essential viewing for anyone interested in Bengaluru’s lakes, lake rejuvenation, urban water, wastewater treatment, wetlands, ecology, hydrology, biodiversity, stormwater management and the future of blue-green spaces in Indian cities.

The WELL Labs Show features rich conversations on water, environment, land and livelihoods, from the people and partners of WELL Labs. Hosted by Pavan Srinath and occasionally guest-hosted by colleagues from WELL Labs, each episode explores complex environmental and social issues and helps you understand the systems and the dynamics better.

For all references and further readings related to the episode, visit https://welllabs.org/twls-veena-srinivasan-3/

Subscribe to the WELL Labs YouTube channel @welllabs and watch all episodes on the official playlist here(https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrHB5gd1QIB_5Bt9nGOQkQRhbeXBEtU7M&si=c7D6GbQKA-8JWiNN)

Recording by Vraj Acharya, Nanditha Gogate and Mytreyi Prasad. Video editing by Ranjith Kumar S. Graphics and artwork by Aparna Nambiar and Oishika Goswami. Podcast production and management by Nabina Chakraborty and Pavan Srinath.