Coronavirus drives up water use in outer Bengaluru

Water consumption has gone up by an estimated 20% in outer Bengaluru households, as the 21-day COVID-19 lockdown enters the second week. However, in core city areas, the demand spike is lower and compensated by the 140 Million Litres Daily (MLD) fall in supplies to industrial and commercial establishments now under lockdown.

Dependent on private water tanker supplies, the vast majority of the 110 villages under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) are now facing a sharp rise in demand. Here’s why: Rising summer heat, COVID-triggered need to keep hands washed repeatedly and general hygiene.

Ever since the lockdown began and the government-mandated work-from-home came into effect, water consumption has drastically come down in offices and commercial establishments. BWSSB officials said the 140 MLD saved will now be diverted to the core city households to meet the higher demand there.

However, in the 110 villages, only a meagre 7,000 households/apartments have taken BWSSB connections although the board says it has laid pipelines and kept them supply-ready in 59 villages. “The water utilisation has increased by almost 20% in these areas with big apartment clusters,” Vikram Rai from the Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF) told DH.

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The rise in water demand is particularly pronounced in areas such as Bellandur, Varthur, Whitefield, K R Puram and surrounding localities. “More people at home means more water use. Besides, the repeated washing of hands under running water, more body wash and house cleaning to increase hygiene as a precaution have all driven up consumption,” Rai explained.

BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief Kemparamaiah informed that consumption has increased but the demand has been met by the board.

“The demand has been adequately addressed as almost 10% of the city’s total water demand of 1,450 MLD is saved by the closure of commercial and industrial establishments,” he informed.

In Whitefield, the few areas served by BWSSB have seen a 10-15% increase in demand for smaller apartments and 8-12% spike for larger apartments. However, tanker consumption could be much higher, said Vishnu Phani Vardhan, BAF’s Whitefield secretary.