BENGALURU: Seven years ago in mid-2017, Cape Town in South Africa hit the international headlines with the water crisis the city was facing. The situation went from bad to worse when water restrictions of 87 litres per person per day were implemented. Many experts had predicted that Bengaluru would be the next Cape Town with its unplanned expansion following the IT boom over the last two decades.
The water woes in the last month have become so bad that many people from the IT sector who have made Bengaluru their home are contemplating moving back to their hometowns. Yagna Sree, a 33-year-old software engineer and resident of KR Puram is planning to return to her hometown in Andhra Pradesh. “I am hoping that my husband is allowed to work-from-home, too. In fact, construction of our house has come to a standstill due to the water crisis,” she says.
Fluid state of affairs
Amidst the worst water shortage in decades, calls are rising from different quarters to move the Bengaluru matches of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) out of the city. With this trending on social media, IPL 2024 – starting on March 22, the first match of which will be held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 25, is drawing a lot of ire on the internet.
At the same time, there is major concern over the city’s image taking a beating if the IPL matches are moved. With 10,000-15,000 litres of water required for the matches, the big question is if the city can pull-off an event of this scale. Shubendu Ghosh, CEO of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, says, “We are looking at the government’s new policy on water usage and are in discussions about how to deal with the situation.”
Small steps, BIG impact
The water crunch has forced the hospitality industry to curb water consumption. At Clarks Exotica Convention Resort and Spa, one block has been shut to prevent water wastage. Chethan Bangre, chief engineer, says, “Previously, the resort utilised up to 40 water tankers each month to meet the demand.
Amidst the crisis, we are planning to reuse treated water for sanitary purposes.” Not just institutions, Saarim Khursheed, COO of Why Waste? which works towards conservation of water, points out that small steps can prevent worsening of the situation. “Using grey water – lightly-used water from washing machines, sinks, etc, – might be useful,” he says.
Party Pooper
With Holi on March 25, the city’s residents are also facing a decision on how to celebrate the festival that is known to consume a lot of water. Bengali in Bangalore, a cultural organisation in South Bengaluru, organises Holi parties every year but have decided to cancel the party from their end this time. President Ananyabrata Bhakta, says, “The water situation requires our urgent attention. We have commercialised the city and have forgotten to give back to nature. This was bound to happen and we are just reacting to it now that it has reached our homes. We are leveraging our position to create guidelines on how to conserve water and as a collective, we have decided to not celebrate Holi. We have to adapt to the situation.”