A field trip to Kolar

We chose Kolar as the site for collecting water samples as the place is known to have water bodies contaminated with arsenic. This is probably due to the gold mines around. We boarded the bus to Kolar early in the morning from the Kempegowda bus depot in Bangalore. The journey took us a good two hours. Once there, we took another bus to Aadima(the theatre group we were to live with) which was upon a small hillock. After lunch and some rest, we set out to collect water samples from wells all around. Most of the wells had been abandoned and only 2 or 3 were being used. The water from the frequently used wells was potable. Later on we tested a couple of samples with the ORLAB testing kit. It showed no result. The next day we visited KGF (Kolar gold fields), where we collected water samples from water tankers, houses, restaurants and also spoke with the environmental engineer who suggested a few places we could go to to collect samples that were likely to contain arsenic. Unfortunately we couldnt go as we had run out of time. We headed back to Aadima. The boys decided to cook chicken curry and rice and we all enjoyed a pleasant evening. Then next day we returned to Bangalore.

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