Water scarcity: Tanker mafia loots lakes, people
- Water shortage in many parts of city has forced people to get water through tankers
- Tankers filled by using the lake water, illegally
- Tankers charge exorbitantly, but people have no choice but to pay
- No action was taken against tanker water suppliers despite complaint
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The tanker water suppliers are charging anywhere between ₹1,000 per 4,000 to 7,000 litres of water. The price is likely to go up in the coming weeks as the demand for water supply increases.
Last year, the tankers charged ₹300 to ₹500 for 100 litres of water between November and December.
Venkatraman Iyer who works for the poor at slums says, “The situation at slums is very grave as they do not get water for weeks. The tankers that used to charge less than ₹400 have increased their price by at least ₹200 now.”
"The slum dwellers live in a pathetic condition are exposed to great health risk due to the irregular water supply. The maintenance of sanitation becomes a concern when there is no water supply," Venkataraman said.
The environmentalists from the city also say that, “The tankers fill water from borewells. This tanker mafia is a threat to the existence of lakes as well.”
Convenor of Friends of Lakes, Ram Prasad says, “Despite complaints to various agencies about tankers mafia misusing the water from the lakes, nothing much is done.”
"Many tankers supply water from the lakes, which is public property. But the tanker mafia is exploiting it for commercial gains. Besides the quality of the water is a matter of concern as most of the lakes in Bengaluru are polluted," Ram Prasad said.
The lake and water activists say that the tanker mafia charges anywhere between Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 per 4,000 to 7,000 litres of water.
