“Bengaluru used to be called pensioners’ paradise. Now, it should be called pensioners’ punishment…we are being forced to use water very judiciously,” says Sujatha, a arithmetic trainer in Bengaluru’s posh Whitefield space.
She is amongst hundreds of Bengaluru residents who’ve been complaining of an acute water scarcity and disruption in provide that has plagued India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ since mid-January.
Whereas summer season continues to be weeks away, Bengaluru is already feeling the warmth because of acute water shortage. A number of areas in Bengaluru are dealing with disruption in water provide, with residents complaining of personal tankers jacking up costs.
RECEDING GROUNDWATER, HIGH WATER TANKER PRICES ADD TO WOES
However why is Bengaluru, dwelling to hundreds of IT corporations and start-ups and having a inhabitants of 1 crore, dealing with a water disaster even earlier than the onset of summer season?
There are a number of causes which have led to the current water disaster, from rain deficit, drying up of borewells, receding of groundwater, lack of infrastructural planning, to water tanker mafia.
The physique liable for Bengaluru’s water provide, the Bangalore Water Provide and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), will get most of its water from the Cauvery river. These areas that lack entry to Cauvery water connections, are reliant on borewells or tanker water.
Whereas Bengaluru receives round 1,450 million litres per day (MLD) of water from the Cauvery, the town nonetheless faces a shortfall of 1,680 million litres per day.
On this state of affairs, the residents depend on personal tankers to fulfil their water wants. Nonetheless, personal tankers have practically doubled their costs previously two months, leaving residents excessive and dry.
“Private tankers have doubled their prices by charging Rs 1500. In a month, we are spending Rs 6,000 on private tankers. Earlier, it used to be Rs 700. We have been facing this problem since mid-January,” Vipin, an MNC worker, instructed India Right this moment TV.
Furthermore, the price of a 12,000-litre tanker has touched as a lot as Rs 2,000, up from round Rs 1,200 only a month in the past.
CONGRESS BLAMES TANKER MAFIA, BJP POPULATION
Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad from Shivajinagar blamed the tanker mafia for the woes and leakage because of an outdated pipeline system.
“This is the story every summer due to the private tanker mafia. There needs to be a long-term solution. Besides, 30% of water gets leaked because of old pipes. In Shivajinagar, we have changed the whole pipeline system,” Arshad stated.
A number of residents have accused the tanker water distributors of digging borewells and pumping water round the clock for the scarcity.
Inequality in distribution of tankers has been one other ache level, with residents accusing water suppliers of prioritising higher-paying clients, and infrequently diverting deliveries.
On their half, water suppliers cited the rise in costs because of gasoline prices as longer journey distances to fill their tankers.
“We are travelling almost 40 km just to fill our tankers because most of the borewells in the city have run dry. Besides, the extra distance, fuel costs have soared too,” a tanker vendor instructed The Information Minute.
BJP chief and Chickpet MLA Uday Garudachar stated the federal government ought to have deliberate beforehand whereas underscoring the necessity to management the inhabitants of Bengaluru.
“How are people going to pump water for high-rise floors? The population of Bangalore has to be controlled. This is a serious issue. The government needs to plan. I get 50 to 100 calls a day from my constituency, saying there is no water,” Garudachar stated.
The burgeoning inhabitants in Bengaluru can be a significant component, placing stress on the town’s water sources. Town has round 1 crore residents, and is rising by 10 lakh yearly. By 2025, the quantity is anticipated to rise to 1.25 crore.
The fast tempo of growth has coincided with Bengaluru dropping 79 per cent of water our bodies and 88 per cent of inexperienced cowl during the last 4 a long time, based on research on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Reuters reported.
WHAT STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN BY SIDDARAMAIH GOVT
The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka authorities stated the development of the Mekedatu dam throughout the Cauvery River was the answer to Bengaluru’s water shortage.
Nonetheless, the development of the dam has been caught in an imbroglio between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over a dispute on Cauvery water sharing. Tamil Nadu fears the Mekedatu dam will have an effect on the stream of water downstream, affecting the state’s farmers.
The Karnataka authorities has additionally allotted Rs 200 crore within the funds to strengthen its ingesting water infrastructure. The federal government can be options to extend the depth of borewells.
Karnataka deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, responding to issues over large sums being charged by suppliers, has stated that the federal government would repair charges for water tankers.
Will the measures be sufficient for Bengaluru to scrape via until the arrival of the monsoon, or will the disaster worsen additional? Solely time will inform.
