The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Bengaluru): Bengaluru, India’s bustling metropolis, is grappling with an acute water shortage. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has announced a 24-hour disruption in water supply, starting from 6 am on February 27, 2024, until 6 am the following day. This temporary suspension is vital for carrying out necessary maintenance work and for installing new Unaccounted For Water (UFW) bulk flow meters.
Residents, particularly in eastern Bengaluru, are facing the brunt of this crisis. Long queues at water tankers and supply stations have become a common sight, as people scramble to secure essential drinking water. This situation is exacerbated by the ongoing Cauvery water shortage and prevailing drought conditions, pushing several areas of the city into a severe drinking water emergency.
The areas most affected include Whitefield, Belatur, and Mahadevapura. In these localities, residents can be seen lining up with water cans, desperately waiting at supply stations. The BWSSB has urged the populace to judiciously use water during this challenging period. With summer approaching, there’s a growing anxiety among citizens about how they will cope with the escalating water scarcity.
The water supply disruption will not be limited to one part of Bengaluru but will affect multiple areas. Localities like BHEL Layout, Nandini Layout, Srinivasa Nagar, and several others in Bengaluru south will face this challenge. Additionally, parts of Dasarahalli and RR Nagar Zone in Bengaluru north, along with several areas in east Bengaluru, including A Narayanapura and Udaya Nagar, will also experience this inconvenience.
In response to the escalating crisis, a high-level meeting was convened by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) on Saturday. The meeting, led by Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of Urban Development, highlighted the urgent need for immediate actions to mitigate the water shortage. Collaborative efforts between the BWSSB and BBMP authorities are underway to tackle water-related challenges in different zones of the city.
During this meeting, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath revealed a significant budget allocation of Rs 131 crore for drilling new borewells. These temporary measures aim to ease the strain on existing water resources, particularly on RO (Reverse Osmosis) plants.
BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar shared alarming statistics, indicating that out of the city’s 10,955 borewells, 1,214 have dried up, and water levels have diminished in another 3,700 wells. The board is actively identifying borewells that require repairs or redrilling. Notably, 257 critical areas, primarily across 110 villages, have been identified as experiencing acute water shortages.
The weak southwest monsoon has significantly impacted groundwater levels and diminished the water levels in reservoirs of the Cauvery River basin. This situation poses a severe problem for Bengaluru’s approximately 14 million inhabitants, including a large number of IT companies and start-ups.
Residents are already feeling the financial pinch, with the cost of water tankers skyrocketing. In some parts of Bengaluru, the price for a 12,000-litre water tanker has surged from 1,200 rupees to 2,000 rupees. Santhosh C.A., a local from Horamavu in north Bengaluru, conveyed his distress to Reuters, stating the necessity to book water tankers two days in advance and the challenges in maintaining daily life, including caring for plants and personal hygiene.
