As summer scorches, drinking water crisis deepens in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: As the summer heat is rising in Bengaluru, several people are already facing drinking water shortage, which authorities are trying to solve by replenishing supplies through private borewells and tankers. The outskirts of Bengaluru are particularly in dire straits.

Spread over an area of 800 sq km, Bengaluru sees worsening water problem year after year. The problem continues to grow, as the city grows day by day. The implementation of the Cauvery 5th stage project pipeline to connect 110 villages that fall under the BBMP is still underway since its launch in 2007. This may take at least a year and a half more to complete. Until then, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board(BWSSB) will be hard pressed to meet1,470 MLD per day water needs of the people of the metropolis.

Plans to bring water from other reservoirs to the city have not yet materialized. So, there is currently no opportunity to increase the capacity. The BWSSB has provided water connection to 10.70 lakh households. Around 140.70 crore litres of water is being supplied to the city. BWSSB finds itself in a tricky situation as it can neither minimize supply nor can increase water supply, says anofficials.

People along with Cauvery water are dependent on the borewell water. If the groundwater level drops in the summer and there is no water, then pressure on the BWSSB will increase. Water Board has appointed Nodal Officers to handle the issue. The demand for water will increase by about 5 percent during the summer season due to increased consumption and groundwater depletion. An official said that BWSSB uses its 65 tankers to augment water supply in the summer.

The problem of drinking water is often haunting the city's outskirts particularly the 110 villages which are newly added to the BBMP. The Cauvery water connection is not yet available for these sites. As of now borewells are the source of water for these sites. Groundwater depletion during the summer only aggravates the problem. For instance, around 31 villages in the Mahadevapura zone which have been added to the BBMP face major problem. The city is also growing rapidly in this zone as there are more IT companies.

The problem is also increasing day by day in the surrounding areas of Varthur, Sarjapur, Marathahalli and Whitefield. Also, there is a water problem in East Zone, Yelahanka Zone, Bommanahalli Zone, Rajarajeshwara Nagar, Dasarahalli Zone.

Citing fuel price hike, private tanker owners who supply water have also raised the price. Residents demand that the BBMP step in to regulate the price of water supply. The purified drinking water units are also dependant on borewells. Residents are worried that if there is no water in the borewells, even purified water availability would be a problem.

No end to woes of Banashankari 6th Stage

The residents of Banashankari 6th Stage have been going through drinking water problem for last 22 years. The Cauvery water connection remains a pipe dream.

This project developed by BDA has not yet been handed over to BBMP which means providingCauvery water connection to these residents would not be possible. Some desperate residents dig borewells up to 1,000 feet without being lucky enough to strike water. They have given up hope on the politicians who make empty promises. "Public representatives have been giving us false assurances for the last 22 years," says Prasanna Gowda a resident of Banashankari 6th State.

In spite of the perennial water problem, the residential plot prices have increased by Rs 10,000 per sq ft in the area. The BDA which sells house sites through auction earns handsome revenue, but it hardly bothers about the problem of drinking water and infrastructure deficiencies, said G.V. Satish, General Secretary of Banashankari 6th Stage and Kariyanapalya Welfare Development Association.

"We are manging by buying water from water tanker operators. If the management ofthe Banashankari 6th State is handed over to BBMP, the problem would be resolved. Neither officials nor politicians have thought it fit to accomplish this minor thing," said Satish.