Bengaluru is running out of water, and it’s a problem many of us are facing. The city’s population of 1.3 crore struggles to meet daily water needs due to poor monsoons and disputes over water sharing.
This blog post will dive into the causes behind Bengaluru’s thirst and explore practical solutions to quench it. Let’s discover how we can tackle this crisis together!
Reasons for the Water Crisis in Bengaluru
Bengaluru faces a water crisis due to the lack of widespread water utility services and non-implementation of water schemes. The rain deficit and drying up of borewells have also contributed to the receding groundwater levels.
Lack of Widespread Water Utility Services
Many areas in the city don’t have good water pipes or systems. This makes it hard for clean water to reach everyone’s homes. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) tries to fix this, but still, lots of places are left out.
People living there struggle every day just to get enough water for basic needs.
The city gets about 1,850 million liters of water per day (MLD). Yet, it falls short by 1,680 MLD to meet all its needs. This big gap shows how much more work is needed to bring water services everywhere.
Without better pipes and systems, the crisis keeps getting worse.
Families often wait hours for water trucks or pay a lot more money than before. They rely on these expensive and uncertain sources because regular water supply doesn’t reach them.
It’s clear that bringing more utility services across Bengaluru is crucial for solving the water shortage problem.
Non-implementation of Water Schemes
Government plans often face delays and obstacles. This is true for water schemes in Bengaluru as well. Sometimes, these projects take longer than expected to start. Other times, they don’t get off the ground at all.
This can happen because of funding problems or political issues.
The city designed several strategies to fight its water crisis. They planned to improve the drainage system and promote rainwater harvesting. But not putting these schemes into action worsens the situation.
Streams and rivers continue to be overlooked as potential water sources.
Efforts like leasing private borewells or using treated wastewater help some, but they aren’t enough without the bigger projects taking flight. The Cauvery Phase-5 project was a step forward, aiming to bring more water into homes across Bengaluru.
Yet, this alone can’t solve all issues if other plans stay on paper rather than becoming reality.
Rain Deficit
Bengaluru suffers from a rain deficit, making the water crisis worse. Poor monsoons in 2023 have led to less rainfall than expected. This means there’s not enough water filling up lakes and underground sources.
The Cauvery River, which is crucial for Bengaluru’s water supply, hasn’t received enough flow from rains.
This lack of rain affects groundwater levels too. Many borewells are drying up because there isn’t new water coming in to replenish them. Without enough rain, the city struggles to manage its water needs, leading directly to issues with the drying up of borewells.
Drying Up of Borewells
During the dry period, borewells in Bengaluru are at risk of drying up. The city has reported 1,240 out of 10,995 borewells facing this potential threat as groundwater levels continue to deplete.
This exacerbates the water crisis, necessitating urgent measures to address the looming shortage.
Receding groundwater levels have led to a critical situation where a significant number of borewells are on the brink of drying up in Bengaluru. This poses a severe challenge to ensuring an adequate and sustainable supply of water for the city’s residents.
Receding of Groundwater Levels
Residents are facing severe challenges due to this situation. They must now resort to water rationing and pay nearly double the usual price for their daily water needs. This pressing issue requires urgent attention and effective solutions to alleviate the strain on Bengaluru’s water resources.
Effects of the Water Crisis
Water tanker prices soar as demand increases. Groundwater depletion leads to water rationing.
Rising Prices of Water Tankers
Water tanker prices soar amidst Bengaluru’s water crisis, with suppliers accused of exploiting the situation by charging inflated rates. Unequal distribution of Cauvery water means some areas rely solely on expensive borewells and tankers, aggravating the financial burden on residents already grappling with the scarcity.
The escalating cost of water tankers in Bengaluru is exacerbating the strain on households as they contend with unequal access to Cauvery water and overreliance on costly alternatives like borewells and tankers.
Water Rationing
Residents in Bengaluru are forced to ration their water use due to the ongoing water crisis. The dwindling groundwater levels and soaring prices of water tankers have led people to limit their daily consumption.
With rates likely to go over double the usual during peak summer, residents face significant challenges in meeting their basic water needs.
The dire situation has resulted in a drastic increase in the cost of water tankers, nearly doubling from normal rates. As a result, many residents can only afford limited amounts or have resorted to reducing their overall usage in response to this critical issue.
Possible Solutions to the Water Crisis
Implement water conservation measures, introduce alternate water sources, improve water infrastructure, and promote rainwater harvesting. Enhance the existing Cauvery Project for a sustainable solution to Bengaluru’s water crisis.
Implementation of Water Conservation Measures
To address the water crisis in Bengaluru, the implementation of water conservation measures is crucial.
- Encouraging residents to fix leaking taps and pipes can save significant amounts of water each day.
- Promoting the use of low – flow fixtures and appliances helps reduce water wastage in households and businesses.
- Educating the community about water – saving practices in gardening and landscaping can minimize outdoor water usage.
- Enforcing strict regulations on industrial water usage and implementing recycling methods within industries conserves water resources.
Introducing Alternate Sources of Water
To address the water crisis, exploring alternate sources of water is imperative. This can be achieved through the following measures:
- Tapping into Surface Water Bodies: Utilizing surface water from rivers and lakes through partnerships with neighboring regions and implementing efficient water treatment technologies.
- Reusing Treated Wastewater: Encouraging the use of treated wastewater for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, industrial processes, and urban landscaping to reduce reliance on freshwater sources.
- Desalination Plants: Investing in desalination plants to harness seawater as a potential freshwater source for the city, thereby easing pressure on existing freshwater reserves.
- Groundwater Recharge: Implementing strategies like artificial recharge wells and infiltration basins to replenish aquifers and enhance groundwater levels sustainably.
- Community Rainwater Harvesting: Promoting rainwater harvesting at a community level to capture and store rainwater for domestic usage and recharge local aquifers.
Improving Water Infrastructure
To address the water crisis in Bengaluru, improving water infrastructure is crucial. The BWSSB is enhancing the city’s infrastructure by conducting essential maintenance work and installing Unaccounted For Water (UFW) bulk flow meters to ensure efficient water supply.
Steps are being taken to reduce water consumption and promote the use of treated water by industries and commercial establishments. Additionally, plans are underway to lease private borewells, rent additional tankers, and revive existing borewells to increase water availability in the city.
The steps taken by BWSSB include leasing private borewells, renting additional tankers, reviving existing borewells, and reducing water consumption by promoting treated water usage in industries and commercial establishments.
Promoting Rainwater Harvesting
To promote rainwater harvesting, and raise awareness through educational campaigns in schools and communities. Encourage the installation of rainwater harvesting systems by offering subsidies to residents. Collaborate with local businesses to incentivize the implementation of rainwater harvesting on their premises. Integrate rainwater harvesting into building codes and urban planning regulations. Implement policies to require new developments to include rainwater harvesting systems. Offer tax benefits or rebates to individuals and businesses that adopt rainwater harvesting practices. Partner with non-governmental organizations to conduct workshops and training sessions on rainwater harvesting techniques. Engage in public-private partnerships to fund large-scale rainwater harvesting projects in public spaces. Empower citizens to take ownership of rainwater harvesting initiatives through community-based programs and incentives. Prioritize the integration of rainwater harvesting as a key component of water management strategies.
Cauvery Project V
Cauvery Project V aims to address Bengaluru’s water crisis by increasing the supply of Cauvery River water to the city. The project involves constructing a new pipeline to transport an additional 775 million liters per day, supplementing the current allocation of 1.45 billion liters per day from the river.
This will help in reducing reliance on borewells and water tankers as more areas can receive Cauvery water, contributing to more equitable distribution across the city.
The completion of Cauvery Project V is crucial for alleviating Bengaluru’s water scarcity, especially in areas that currently lack access to sufficient water resources. With a significant increase in the Cauvery River water supply, it could mitigate the adverse effects of over-reliance on groundwater and costly dependence on private tanker deliveries.
