Borewells are not a permanent solution

With Bengaluru facing an unprecedented water scarcity, the BWSSB has resorted to drilling some 105 borewells and claims to have achieved a 90 per cent success rate despite the plummeting groundwater level in and around the city.

The high success rate was possible, the BWSSB says, because it went about the process in a scientific manner, taking the assistance of geologists.

The geologists analysed aquifers in various areas and identified locations where drilling borewells would be successful. The terrain as well as the state of existing borewells in the vicinity were also studied before deciding on a location. This is creditable because attempts by many private parties to strike water or rejuvenate old borewells have not borne fruit.

While this move by the BWSSB could mitigate the problem to some extent, it does not offer a permanent or viable solution. Though indiscriminate digging of borewells exerts great pressure on the groundwater table, especially in times like these when the city is starved for rains, they cannot be wished away either because only 60 per cent of Bengaluru is serviced by Cauvery water. Besides, the Supreme Court has imposed a cap -- 24 TMC -- on the amount of Cauvery water that can be supplied to Bengaluru. 

However, a silver-lining in all this is that for the first time, the BWSSB is talking of sustainability, with an assurance that the city will become water-surplus by July 2026. Board Chairman Ramprasat Manohar has announced a three-pronged strategy, which involves water conservation, utilisation of treated water, and rainwater recharging, to achieve this goal.

BWSSB has also launched a campaign to promote judicious use of potable water so that it is not wasted on non-consumptive purposes like gardening, recreation or to wash vehicles. Similarly, use of aerators to help reduce the flow, and thus consumption, of water from taps has been made mandatory. These measures seem to have had some positive impact so far.

The BWSSB has also allowed residential communities to sell 50 per cent of treated water. The treated water has to be compliant with standards set by the National Green Tribunal. These measures should not be seen as temporary steps to tide over the current crisis but should become permanent features.  

However, all of these measures will not be enough to ensure sustainable water supply to all of Bengaluru if the government does not take steps to regulate its growth, especially the building of new high-rises and layouts in and around the city, without assessing the water requirement and availability. Unfortunately, successive governments and the city corporation have done nothing on this front to inspire confidence. Even the current government’s ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ plan to reduce the stress on the city has remained only on paper so far.