Bengaluru city
With summer temperatures already shooting up, Bengaluru city’s core areas as well as outer regions are concerned over regular drinking water supply. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has assured the supply of drinking water to the city’s 1.30 crore-plus population through the summer.
BWSSB has prohibited using drinking water for car wash and other non-potable purposes, and imposed a fine of Rs 5000 for wastage. Recently, 112 cases were reported for violating this rule, and Rs 5.60 lakh was collected from the offenders, said BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasat Manohar.
While measures are being taken by the board to tackle the situation in April and May when summer will be at its peak, residents have expressed concern over the depletion of water in borewells, especially in the outer areas, and are living at the mercy of private water tankers.
“BWSSB has already commissioned Cauvery Stage-V with a capacity to supply 775 MLD drinking water to 21,000 connections spread across 110 villages that were merged into the Palike in 2008,” said Manohar, adding that BWSSB will also press tankers for the benefit of the public from its side.
If this is the situation in Bengaluru Urban, there is serious concern in Ramanagara district, especially in Magadi taluk, with its 2.75 lakh population facing water issues. As per MLA HC Balakrishna, building the Express Canal, a project to lift water from the Hemavathi river, can solve the water issue in the taluk.
The situation in Bengaluru Rural is not encouraging as the government is not able to provide 3.5tmcft of drinking water for the entire district.
Kittur Karnataka
With adequate water available in Almatti and Narayanapura reservoirs, Vijayapura may not face drinking water issues this time. According to officials, unlike previous years, the district administration need not have to use tankers to supply water in several parts of the district. Basavaraj Kumbar, Executive Engineer of Rural Water Supply, said over 640 villages of the district are connected with various water supply schemes such as Multi Village Scheme (MVS) where water is supplied either through a canal and or by filling up tanks. “We have sufficient water to last till July this year, so even in mid-summer, we will not be needing any tankers,’’ he said.
“In Bagalkot, the Zilla Panchayat has identified around 35 villages based on the latest records and availability of water sources. In order to address the possible crises, we have already prepared plans that include identifying private borewells besides depending on government borewells,’’ ZP CEO Shashidhar Kurer said.
Belagavi’s primary water sources are Rakaskop Reservoir and Hidkal Dam, with additional water being drawn from the Markandeya river. Hardik Desai, General Manager, L&T, Belagavi, said the water situation has been thoroughly assessed, allowing the company to adopt a more cautious and effective water management strategy this year. He highlighted that Rakaskop Reservoir remains the city’s main water source, while Hidkal Dam supplements supply.
Central Karnataka
Although there is no foreseeable crisis, contingency plans are being put in place in Davanagere and Chitradurga for stable drinking water supply. Despite timely rain improving groundwater levels, officials are cautious and have prepared contingency plans for potential shortages in April and May.
In Davanagere, of 726 villages, 500 receive water through a multi-village supply scheme. Zilla Panchayat CEO Suresh B Ittnal says, “We don’t have any water problems in villages now, but issues may arise in April and May.” Mayakonda, Channagiri and Jagaluru constituencies are identified as potential hotspots and panchayat development officers have been instructed to harness private borewells as a backup. Contingency plans are already in place for Molakalmuru, Challakere and Hiriyur taluks, which are more prone to shortages.
Malnad Karnataka
In Shivamogga, over 90 per cent of gram panchayats have adequate water due to good rainfall, says ZP CEO Hemanth. The Disaster Management Cell has issued guidelines, including deploying tankers, repairing borewells and maintaining the supply network. In Chikkamagaluru, erratic rainfall has impacted groundwater, and activist Naagesh Angeerasha attributes it to deforestation.
ZP CEO Keertha HS noted that NR Pura and Koppa taluks face shortages, but the RDPR department is taking steps to mitigate the situation. Meanwhile, Kadur and Ajjampura remain stable due to good late monsoon rain. Farmer leader Maheshwarappa urged judicious water use, despite IMD’s prediction of good rainfall.
Coastal Karnataka
The coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are unlikely to face any drinking water crisis during peak summer this year as the authorities have made alternative arrangements to tide over any possible shortage. Adyar-Harekala vented dam will come to the rescue of Mangaluru city, Ullal and surrounding areas if water level hits rock bottom in Thumbe dam, which presently supplies water to Mangaluru city.
Mangaluru mayor Manoj Kumar ruled out the possibility of any water crisis during peak summer, saying there is sufficient water in Thumbe vented dam. The construction of vented dams at Jakribettu and Biliyuru has raised hopes of them replenishing borewells in the region to help tide over a possible crisis in summer.
The Udupi district administration has issued instructions to various departments like Minor Irrigation, Major Irrigation, RDPR, Revenue, Urban Development, Rural Water Supply and Forest to come up with conservation measures, said ZP CEO Prateek Bayal. The Zilla Panchayat is requisitioning information from the village water and sanitation committee of each Gram Panchayat to assess the situation and prepare a mitigation plan.
‘’As of now there is no water scarcity in any of the villages. Uttara Kannada district has had a very good monsoon in 2024, so there has been no drinking water crisis yet this year. Following a poor monsoon in 2023, summer had been harsh for Karwar Rural, Gokarna, Kumta, Joida town and Murudeshwara in Bhatkal taluk and other places.
Kalyana Karnataka
As Kalaburagi and Raichur districts are generally arid during summer, the district administrations have started taking steps to tackle possible drinking water crisis in Kalyana Karnataka region.
Kalaburagi district in-charge minister Priyank Kharge has strictly instructed officials to prepare an action plan within 10 days to tackle a possible drinking water crisis in summer.
Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike has said it would station one water tanker in each ward to provide water. All 253 villages of Kalaburagi district might face a drinking water crisis in summer, and 66 villages may get affected from March itself. Aland, Afzalpur, Kamalapur, Chittapur and Kalaburagi are likely to run dry.
Raichur Deputy Commissioner Nitish K has given a 10-day deadline to officials to fill all the lakes in the district before water flows in the canals. Nodal officers will be appointed in all taluks to ensure there are no complaints from villagers regarding supply of drinking water. In Raichur district, 297 villages are being supplied drinking water through ponds or lakes. These ponds are filled with water from the Tungabhadra and NRBC canals. At least 265 more borewells need to be drilled soon, while 336 have already been dug.
Bidar district officials say 46 villages might face a drinking water crisis in summer, and preparations are under way to tackle any shortage. Yadgir administration too has started preparations to avert any crisis.
Old Mysuru
In Mysuru region, the mercury is up, water holes are drying and the underground water table is depleting, and many villages atop Male Mahadeshwara Hills are depending on tankers to quench their thirst. The drought-like situation and dry open wells has forced families living in Tulsikere, Padasulanatha, Dodmane and nearby villages to wait for tankers to meet their daily requirements. Though MM Hills is situated in the backwaters of the Cauvery, it is gripped by a water crisis as there are neither borewells nor piped water.
Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Nag plans to convene a meeting exclusively to discuss drinking water needs. She has directed officers to list vulnerable villages that would face a water crisis, and draw up plans to see that they are effectively managed for the next 2-3 months.Though KRS Dam has 113.65 ft of water as against its maximum level of 124.8 ft, and Kabini is brimming at 2275ft as against 2284ft, and many tanks are filled up to meet the drinking water needs of Mysuru district, there are complaints of water scarcity in parts of Jayapura, Maragowdanahalli and Keelanapura panchayats in Mysuru taluk and Kavalande hobli in Nanjangud taluk. The Zilla panchayats had invited tenders during the previous year to supply water in tankers.
In Mandya, there are no reports of water scarcity as the irrigation department has released water into canals to reach tail-end villages in Maddur and Malavalli. Precautionary measures are in place to see that no village is affected during the summer.
Despite Kodagu being the land where the river Cauvery originates, the district has been facing acute drinking water shortage from March to May. However, authorities have failed to draw water from alternative sources to enable the residents’ water needs are met. Meanwhile there is work going on in urban areas in the district, including Madikeri, Kushalnagar and Virajpet, under AMRUT 2.0 scheme from Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board that aims to end water woes.
Kolar and Chikkaballapur
There is no perennial river in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts. People depend totally on borewell water for regular use, and purchase tanker water for drinking purposes since several years. Jayaraman, a senior pharmacist, says people who can instal water purifiers use purified water in their houses, but a majority purchase tanker water at Rs 3 per pot, while others purchase purified water for Rs 12 per pot.
The Yettinahole project is a dream for people in Kolar and Chikkaballapur, but the government’s assurances of completing the project remain unrealized, says Communist Party of India (Marxist) taluk secretary Thangaraj. For 20 years, Bethamangala lake water is being purified and supplied to houses. There’s a need for the state government to supply water to people of KGF, Bethamangala and BEML Nagar.
According to an official, water from Yerogol is being supplied to Bangarpet, Malur and Kolar, but pipeline work is still not completed in some parts.
North West Karnataka
The approaching summer is likely to be hot and horrible for Gadag, Ballari and Vijayanagar districts, besides parts of Dharwad district. Although Hubballi-Dharwad twin cities may not face a problem, there could be a stretched supply cycle as the demand increases with the increase in the mercury levels in the region.
The drinking water problem is not new for Gadag district despite having double sources -- the Tungabhadra and Malaprabha rivers. Irrespective of season, people bear the brunt of this problem. Repeated ruptures in pipelines from the Hammagi Reservoir over Tungabhadra create a lot of concern for the people of Gadag town and surrounding villages of the taluk, and they have to depend on tankers for drinking water.
On the other hand, despite having enough storage water in the Tungabhadra dam, Ballari and Vijayanagar districts have been experiencing drinking water crises as water is being supplied once a week and often gets stretched to once in eight-10 days. Although summer has just begun, the administration of both districts has not yet geared up to tackle eventualities in the coming days.
Since the water sources of the Dharwad-Malaprabha and Neerasagar reservoirs - have adequate storage, there could be no problem for the twin-cities, but the same cannot be expected in rural parts of the district. So the ZP is to classify red, orange and yellow zones depending on severity of the problem. Kundgol, Alnavar, Navalgund and a few areas in the urban pockets may face some problems as the summer further heats up and does not receive any unusual rain, says Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu.
Firoz Rozindar (Vijayapura/Bagalkote), Tushar A Majukar (Belgavi), Subhash Chandra NS (Uttara Kannada), G Subhash Chandra (Davanagere/ Chitradurga), Arpitha I (Shivamogga) Thipperudrappa B (Chikkamagaluru), Mallikarjun Hiremath (Dharwad), Kiran Balannanavar (Ballari/Vijayanagar), Raghottam Koppar (Gadag), Ramkrishna Badseshi (Kalburgi) / Vincent D’Souza (Mangaluru), Prajna GR (Kodagu)/ Prakash Samaga (Udupi)/K Shivakumar (Mysuru /Mandya/ Chamarajanagar), Mohammed Yacoob (Bengaluru/Ramanagara), Velayudham (Kolar/Chikkaballapura)