The Bengaluru water crisis refers to the ongoing struggle of one of India’s largest and fastest-growing cities, to provide a sustainable and reliable water supply to its residents. Read here to learn more.
Despite its reputation as India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru faces severe water scarcity issues, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, population growth, inefficient water management, and climate change.
As of now, India’s IT hub is grappling with a severe water crisis attributed to a prolonged drought.
Bengaluru water crisis
The Cauvery River’s water levels have significantly dropped as a result of insufficient rainfall, which hurts agricultural irrigation and the availability of drinking water.
Moreover, the situation is made worse by the depletion of borewells, underscoring the urgent need for quick action.
- Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar disclosed that out of the 14,781 borewells under the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) and Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), 6,997 have ceased to yield water.
- As per the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre (KSNDMC), the water levels in key Cauvery Basin reservoirs, including Harangi, Hemavathi, KRS, and Kabini, stand at a mere 39 percent of their total capacity as of February 28.
Key Factors Contributing to the Crisis
- Over-dependence on Distant Sources: Bengaluru primarily relies on the Cauvery River for its water supply, which is located about 100 kilometers away. The dependence on a single, distant source puts the city at risk, especially during drought years.
- Depleting Groundwater Levels: Over-exploitation of groundwater through borewells is a common practice in both urban and peri-urban areas of Bengaluru. This unregulated extraction has led to a dramatic decrease in groundwater levels, making it unsustainable in the long term.
- Rapid Urbanization: Unplanned urban sprawl has led to the loss of lakes, wetlands, and green spaces, which traditionally recharged the groundwater. Many lakes that exist are heavily polluted and encroached upon, reducing their effectiveness as water sources.
- Inefficient Water Management: Leakage and inefficiency in the water distribution network result in significant water loss. Estimates suggest that around 40-50% of water is lost due to leaks and unauthorized connections.
- Pollution of Water Bodies: Industrial and domestic wastewater has led to the pollution of the remaining water bodies, making the water unfit for consumption or even agricultural use.
- Climate Change: Altered rainfall patterns, with extended dry periods followed by heavy monsoon rains, challenge the existing water management infrastructure, making it difficult to capture and store water effectively.
Impact of Bengaluru water crisis
- Water Shortages: Many residents, especially in the outskirts and higher elevations of the city, face acute water shortages, relying on expensive and irregularly supplied water tankers for their daily needs.
- Quality Concerns: The water crisis also raises concerns about water quality, as the scarcity of water leads to the use of contaminated sources, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
- Economic Impact: The water crisis affects not just the quality of life but also the economic prospects of the city, threatening its status as a global IT hub.
Solutions and Efforts
Efforts to address the Bengaluru water crisis involve a multi-faceted approach, focusing on both supply-side and demand-side solutions:
- Rainwater Harvesting: Encouraging rainwater harvesting in residential and commercial buildings can help replenish groundwater and reduce dependence on distant water sources.
- Wastewater Treatment and Reuse: Expanding and upgrading wastewater treatment facilities to enable the reuse of water for non-potable purposes can relieve pressure on freshwater resources.
- Lake Restoration: Reviving and restoring the city’s lakes can help recharge groundwater, improve biodiversity, and create additional water reservoirs.
- Leakage Reduction: Investing in the modernization of the water distribution network to reduce leaks and unauthorized use can significantly improve water availability.
- Public Awareness and Conservation Measures: Educating residents about water conservation techniques and implementing stricter regulations on water use can help reduce demand.
- Management Frameworks: The Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) framework must be the main emphasis of groundwater planning and management. It encourages the coordinated management of resources related to water, land, and other relevant resources.
What is the state doing?
- To address this pressing issue, the state government has devised a plan involving the utilization of milk tankers from the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to transport water to Bengaluru.
- Additionally, the government intends to take control of private borewells within the city and its vicinity.
- Phase 5 of the Cauvery project aiming to provide 110 liters of drinking water daily to 12 lakh people is expected to be completed by May 2024. The water shortage issue in the 110 villages added to BBMP in 2008 will be solved once the Cauvery V Stage work is done.
- The Phase-5 project will also include underground drainage works, which are scheduled to be finished by December 2024. This involves laying 228 km of drainage pipeline and building 13 sewage treatment plants capable of treating 100 Megalitres per day of sewage water.
Way forward
The management and security of water supplies for the people of Bengaluru are made more difficult by disputes over water sharing between Karnataka and adjacent states, especially about rivers like the Cauvery.
The federal government and state governments are engaged in a power struggle over how to divide up and allocate monies intended to alleviate the drought situation in Karnataka.
Addressing the Bengaluru water crisis requires concerted efforts from the government, private sector, civil society, and citizens to ensure sustainable water management practices that can support the city’s growth without compromising its water security.
Previous year question
Q. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India? (Mains 2019)
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- Groundwater depletion and contamination in India
- Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2022
- Water pollution
- Desalination: a unique solution to Chennai water woes
-Article by Swathi Satish
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