Amid water crisis, citizens get half-bucket challenge

The largest body of apartments in Bengaluru is running a social media campaign, urging its members to bath in half a bucket of water so as to reduce the pressure on the city’s depleting water resources.

The BAFHalfBucketChallenge thrown by the Bangalore Apartments’ Federation highlights growing concerns over water scarcity in the city as the summer sets in.

One of the social media messages reads ‘Looming water crisis in Bengaluru! I took bath with half a bucket of water! Can you?’

The BAF has about 400 apartment complexes as members, representing over 70,000 flats and two lakh people.

The federation believes Bengaluru is in the throes of a water crisis with groundwater running dry in many places and the supply of Cauvery water becoming erratic.

While the government and civic agencies are working towards reviving the lakes and improving the water supply, citizens can do their bit by reducing water consumption through simple measures.

Srikanth Narasimhan, the general secretary of the BAF and a resident of Brigade Paramount, Old Madras Road, said that all these years, their apartment managed with borewell water, but this year they were compelled to buy water from private tankers.

“I have been bathing with half a bucket of water for quite some time and it’s pretty easy. It just takes a little bit of a mindset change and a focus on water conservation,” he added.

Ajay Mehrotra, joint secretary, BAF, said their aim was to make the campaign viral where people could post simple messages on Facebook or Twitter, saying they had done it successfully and tagging at least three friends, throwing them the same challenge.

K V Prasanna, vice president, BAF, said people must take the challenge a notch higher and see how they could reduce the overall consumption of water by half.

“This is very important as the city’s water resources are going to be continuously under strain as the population keeps increasing,” he added.