Bengaluru is facing a severe water crisis, especially in the outskirts. The shortage is so stark that tenants are shifting to areas with better water facilities, unable to handle the anxiety of waiting for private tankers despite paying high prices, and the serpentine queue at Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) RO plants.
While Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials have been holding marathon meetings and have taken steps like fixing rates for water tankers, setting up temporary tankers and drilling borewells, the crisis persists.
“In our area, water supplied by BWSSB is erratic. We are managing as we have a borewell. Water board linemen are diverting water meant for homes to bulk consumers like apartments, hotels and offices as they grease their hands,” said Puttegowda, a resident of Hanumanthnagar. He said in some areas, BBMP RO plants are defunct, and they have to go to areas where they work, and wait for long hours to fill a 20-litre can.
“Our bore stopped yielding water as the water level has fallen, so we have to drill another one to about 1,800ft or deeper. We will have to spend around Rs 2 lakh and are also not sure how long the water will last, after spending so much,” lamented Muniraju, a resident of Varthur. He said some people have changed homes to areas where they get a decent amount of water without having to spend too much.
He blamed officials for the lack of planning, failure to act on illegal constructions and for the sudden growth. He also blamed property owners who, out of greed to get more rent, have built houses beyond the permissible capacity, and put the available water under stress.
Indrani, a resident of RT Nagar, said, “The main problem is tanker suppliers. After the government fixed the price, 80 per cent are not ready to supply for this price, and are demanding more money. They fool people by saying they don’t have borewells and need to ferry water from far away. For 6,000 litres, we used to pay Rs 700-1000, which has almost doubled now.”
“Borewells in most houses/small apartments have dried up in this area. BWSSB releases Cauvery water for hardly 10-15 minutes. After MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy pressured the water board, we are getting water for at least 30 minutes,” she said.
The situation is the worst on the outskirts like Whitefield, Varthur, Bellandur, KR Puram, Mahadevapura, Hoodi, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Yelahanka, Uttarahalli, RR Nagar, Peenya, Byatarayanapura Yeshwanthpur, Herohalli, to list a few, which do not have piped Cauvery water connection yet.
People say it is high time officials and water experts take up large-scale conservation through rainwater harvesting in homes and public places, rejuvenation of lakes and wells, recharging of groundwater, promotion of treated water, mass-scale tree plantation across the city etc. Else the water crisis will be much worse in the coming years, they fear.
However, some Bengalureans said the water situation in their areas is not too bad and they are managing with the available Cauvery and borewell water.
Social worker Ramachandran N said he doesn’t believe the rates fixed for private water tankers will be followed at all. “The government has fixed rates for many things, like minimum fare for autos, cabs, commercial vehicles, tourist vehicles etc. These rates are just on paper, and the reality is different. Likewise, I don’t think private water tankers will follow rates fixed by the government,” Ramachandran said.
While BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath maintained that the civic body is doing everything it can to alleviate water shortage, BWSSB Chairman Ramprasat Manohar confirmed that the city has enough water in the four Cauvery reservoirs to last till July, and people need not panic. He was confident that Cauvery Stage V will be commissioned by May this year, to pump water to 110 parched villages.