Water woes intensify in East Bengaluru: Long queues form at supply stations
Even before the onset of summer, Bengaluru grapples with an unprecedented water crisis, residents find themselves in dire straits, relying on private tankers for survival due to the inadequate supply from Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The severity of the situation has prompted the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to roll out a comprehensive action plan to address the city's water woes. In a significant move, the BBMP, in collaboration with BWSSB, has decided to supply free water using 200 to 300 tankers to areas grappling with acute shortages.
FollowAuthorities will procure these tankers from private individuals, with the mandate to seize them if necessary under the Disaster Management Act. The decision aims to ensure equitable distribution of water resources and alleviate the suffering of affected residents. Allocate 100 tankers to 110 villages and assign the remaining 100 to central areas facing water scarcity out of the 200 tankers to be acquired. Additionally, BBMP Commissioner Tushar Girinath has emphasised the possibility of seizing all 3,000 tankers in the city if required to prevent extortion and exploitation of citizens.
The water crisis has manifested in 58 areas across the city, with regions like Mahadevpur, RR Nagar, Bommanahalli, Yalahanka, and Dasarahalli bearing the brunt of increased water scarcity. To address this, the BBMP has allocated ₹131 crore for water-related initiatives, including the drilling of tube wells in affected areas. The government has earmarked ₹90 crore for drilling tube wells in areas facing acute water scarcity.
Additionally, ₹10 crore has been allocated to each Assembly constituency for tube well drilling, underscoring the government's commitment to resolving the crisis at the grassroots level. Furthermore, the BBMP has initiated the integration of Jal Board officers and staff involved in the implementation of the Cauvery 5th stage project under the respective zonal commissioners.
This coordinated effort aims to streamline decision-making and expedite the resolution of water-related issues in the city. However, challenges persist, with 35 drinking water plants in the RR Nagar zone, 22 in Mahadevpur, and 12 in the eastern zone experiencing outages. To address this, officials have been instructed to provide drinking water through tankers temporarily until arrangements are made for the restoration of RO plants. The situation is exacerbated by the depletion of borewells, with 1,214 out of 10,955 tube wells drying up and 3,700 experiencing reduced water levels.
The BBMP has taken steps to identify repairable tube wells and undertake flushing and re-drilling as needed. Despite the severity of the crisis, hope looms on the horizon with the completion of the Cauvery 5th stage project expected by the end of April. This milestone will herald the availability of an additional 772 MLD of water, providing much-needed relief to Bengaluru and the 110 villages it serves.
