There’s an app for possibly everything in Bengaluru, even to book water tankers, Metrolife found.
Early this year, Shravanth Donthi and his wife Moulya Amar Nath started Tankerwala, a mobile app that lets you book water tankers across Bengaluru and have them delivered to your apartment in an hour. “Just like Dunzo and Swiggy, which have eased our lives by offering timely delivery of food and other things, we also want to provide the best water-on-demand service to our customers,” says Donthi.
The company has a network of over 1,300 tankers and it’s currently servicing 12 areas in the city — Jayanagar, Banashankari, Wilson Garden, BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Koramangala, Rajajinagar, Mahalaxmi Layout, Marathahalli, Bellandur, Sarjapur Road, and Whitefield. “We have delivered over 30 million litres of water and completed more than 4,000 trips so far," Donthi claims and goes on to add that they have verified the water quality these operators provide.
The idea to start Tankerwala was born from a personal experience, which wasn’t a pleasant one. “My wife was pregnant last year, so we moved to my in-laws' place in Banashankari. We realised there’s a major scarcity of water in the area and it was equally difficult to find agencies on Google or Just Dial, who could deliver water on time,” recounts the resident of Jayanagar.
His experience is consistent with what people in several parts of Bengaluru go through every summer. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) hasn’t set up a piped water connection in apartment-crowded areas like Bellandur and Mahadevapura yet, and so, they are solely dependent on water tankers for their day-to-day needs. Borewells yield little to no water as the groundwater in these pockets has plummeted to low levels.
With unmet demands comes exploitation. The water tanker operators in Bengaluru are infamous for overcharging or delivering only to the highest bidders. Their quality of water has come under scanner multiple times, also their licenses.
The entrepreneur couple hopes their startup can bridge this gap between the demand and supply in the city. “The water supply industry in India is quite disorganised and customers continue to face problems like late delivery, poor quality water, unfair pricing and other issues.”
How does the app work? “Enter your location and water capacity, book a time slot, and pay to confirm your order,” Donthi shares the three-step process. Moreover, customers can schedule a delivery for a later date or book a monthly subscription. You can track the movement of your water tanker in real-time like you track your food and grocery orders.
The payment is hassle-free too. You can make the payment with your debit/credit card or via net banking, UPI wallet or in-app money.Plus, they offer round-the-clock customer support.
The startup is currently bootstrapped but is looking to raise “funds to expedite the growth and operations beyond boundaries.” Because they have an opportunity.
Metropolitan cities, like Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai, face an acute water shortage of about 10,000 million litres on a daily basis. “We want to cater to people living in the remote parts of Bengaluru, who are in desperate need of water (as they don’t have a piped connection),” Donthi signs off.