Will Bengaluru run dry this summer?

Following a failed monsoon, in September last year, the state had declared a drought in 195 taluks, including parts of Bengaluru. Later, the number went up to 216 of the 236 taluks in Karnataka. This includes Mandya and Mysuru districts, from where Bengaluru sources water.

Bengaluru has two major sources of water: 1,450 million litres per day (MLD) of surface water from the Cauvery and another 700 MLD from borewells dug by the BBMP from time to time and which are later handed over to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) for supplying water. With the Cauvery V Stage project – to provide piped drinking water to 110 villages added to the city administration – set to be commissioned in April, the city was expected to get another 775 MLD. But an acute shortage of rainfall in the Cauvery basin may have derailed those calculations.

According to the BWSSB, the “water input” to the city has fallen by 50 per cent. According to the Deputy Chief Minister, 6,997 of the 16,791 borewells in Bengaluru have run dry.

While the BWSSB, the agency responsible for water supply in the city, claims to have anticipated the crisis, it failed to find solutions in time for the summer months.

BWSSB chairman Ram Prasath Manohar told The Indian Express, “We did anticipate the water crisis in Bengaluru because of the drought situation. However, we cannot increase water supply overnight. It is very challenging. Hence we have to address the demand side by urging people to use water judiciously,” said Manohar.

Manohar said low rainfall and over-concretisation in the city have led to the depletion of the city’s water table.
“Tanks are not filled due to massive urbanisation, which is why lakes are also running dry, contributing to the overall depletion of groundwater resources. In Bengaluru, we are running short of groundwater supply in 110 villages, especially in the east zone regions of Varthur, Bellandur etc,” said Manohar.

Apartments run dry

Apartments in the city too have been massively hit.

Vikram Rai, general secretary of the Bangalore Apartment Federation, says that besides inconsistent water supply and dried borewells, tanker prices too have doubled. A tanker with water capacity of 12,000 litres, which earlier cost about Rs 1,200-Rs 1,300, now comes for Rs 3,000.

“Apartments built in the peripheral areas of Bengaluru are dependent on their own borewells which have also gone dry due to shortage of groundwater resources. Overall, we are facing a deficit of 50% in ground water supply,” Rai said, adding, “We have asked housing complexes to monitor their water consumption and explore ways in which it can be reduced.”

Akshay Bharadwaj, a resident of East Bengaluru, said, “We do have Cauvery water supply in our apartment complex but it is inconsistent these days. We have urged residents to use water judiciously and at the same time, we have increased maintenance costs since tanker prices have shot up.”

Many of the apartments have banned washing of vehicles and temporarily shut down their swimming pools.

Some of the apartment complexes in Bengaluru say they anticipated such a situation and struck deals with local water tanker owners well in advance.

Vinay T V, a resident of an apartment complex in East Bengaluru, said, “Last year, we got water supply at Rs 800 for 7,000 litres of water through water tankers. We had an agreement with the water tanker owner and paid him in advance for this year’s supply too. We are getting at least 50 loads of water every month but at the cost that was decided as part of the agreement last year.”

Not overcharging, say tanker owners

Tanker owners deny they are overcharging and say the scarcity has tied their hands.

Ambareesh, who owns seven water tankers, said, “Most of the borewells from which we used to draw water have dried up. We now have to go hunting for borewells with water. A tank load of water costs us about Rs 700 to Rs 800 – it used to be Rs 500 earlier. With diesel charges and other expenses, it crosses Rs 2,000. People are ready to shell out money but we ensure we supply to areas where the situation is bad.”

According to BWSSB chairman Manohar, the only solution is to use recycled water for non-drinking requirements while relying on BWSSB for drinking water. “Apartments with Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) should focus more on recycled water for non-drinking purposes while BWSSB will ensure continued supply of Cauvery water,” said Manohar, adding that BWSSB will soon begin recharging aquifers in 1,000 public spaces to increase groundwater.