Bengaluru Faces Extreme Water Crisis: Dwindling Rainfall, Depleted Groundwater, and Dry Borewells

The Silicon city ‘Bengaluru’ has been witnessing an extreme water crisis since February 2024. 7408 villages are identified as potentially problematic and agreements have been made with 7340 private borewell owners. CM Siddaramaiah ordered the release of Rs. 210 crores for the district-level authorities to manage the drinking water crisis. Of this Rs. 70 crore is meant to drill new borewells. Siddaramaiah highlighted that the water level has decreased in the Tungabhadra reservoir and hence, people drinking water from this reservoir will face problems. He said that 1.78 tmcft of water available in the Tungabhadra reservoir must be maintained until June as the monsoon is expected to start on time. Kaveri River and groundwater, recycled water treated by sewage treatment plants for non-potable uses. Since there has been no rain for some time now, the groundwater has dried up. The water in the borewells is empty. It is as if one has to spend thousands of money to repair a dry borewell, but there is no guarantee that water will come even after spending the money.

It is to be noted that 412-gram panchayats across 98 taluks have drinking water problems. CM informed that in 175 villages 204 tankers are being used. Similarly, in 504 villages 596 borewells are being used. In Bengaluru 120 BBMP and 232 BWSSB tankers are being used. In urban areas, 96 wards in 20 cities depend on tankers and in 29 wards private borewells are being used.  The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has announced a 20% cut in water supply to bulk consumers across the city. Dr. Ramprasad Manohar V. BWSSB Chairman said that for the well-being of people, it is appropriate to cut down the supply of water to these bulk consumers and relocate to the areas that are witnessing extreme shortages of drinking water like slums and poor. By cutting 20% we will be able to save at least 10MLD per day. BWSSB has classified those establishments using more than 2 crore litres daily as bulk consumers. The cutdown will be done in a phased manner from March 15th and by April 15th. The three hospitals, viz., NIMHANS, Victoria and Command Hospitals are bulk consumers and the authorities have decided to relax the order for them considering they provide medical services and emergencies.

Kamal Pant, DGP, Fire and Emergency Services Dept. said that the water crisis is being effectively managed. He pointed to the drastic rise in fire accidents during the summer.  BWSSB also has made it compulsory for all construction sites above 20,000 sq. feet to use treated water for construction purposes. It has also been requested by BWSSB to all the developers to take over the borewells in their construction sites to meet the needs of people in areas with acute shortages of water. The Bangalore District Committee of the Social Unity Centre of India (Communist) (SUCI) held a protest in Bengaluru's Freedom Park using immediate action to address the persisting water scarcity. Protesters called for equal and free distribution of water, while in the long run, they wanted an action plan for water conservation drawn by experts to revive old lakes. Residents of Babusapalya in the city have been depending on water tankers for their daily supply for the past two months. 

We need four tankers daily. We have been getting only one or two for the last two or three months and we have been facing problems with water, a resident said. Since the government has fixed the price of tanker water, even though the problem is still big, the demand is high and people are crying that tankers are not available on time due to the price. The water that comes is not enough. The government focuses only on building apartments and roads, but we need to work on raising the groundwater table. I have been here for 15 years,” said an apartment resident.  People expressed their displeasure that they had not seen such actions from any government. According to them, the government should plan for at least 20 years. Only then this problem will be solved permanently. Besides this, water conservation is important for the people of Bangalore. We also have to find solutions. We cannot put everything on the government. Conscious citizens suggest that we should take the initiative to save water.