35% of Bengaluru depends on borewell water: V Somanna

About 30-35% of Bengaluru depends on borewell water. Over one lakh flats in the city have remained unsold, due to lack of water supply, said V Somanna, Housing Minister.

He was speaking at the curtain-raiser event for the National Sustainable Water and Sanitation Summit, organised by the Confederation of Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the city on Monday.

Citing that even as several announcements are made towards water conservation, only a few materialised, Somanna said: “Rs 1,200 crore has been released towards building check dams. However, on the ground, no work has happened.”

Govind M Karjol, Deputy Chief Minister, said there is a need for improved awareness among people as the problem of water scarcity is increasing day by day. “There is 250% exploitation of groundwater resources. Groundwater is not clean, mixed with fluoride, iron and nitrates,” he said.

Rainwater harvesting

He said even as only a few people undertook rainwater harvesting, it had become more of a fashionable affair. “Even in this, there is an overlap. The forest, agriculture, irrigation and lake development authorities were working on it,” said Karjol.

Citing that the catchment areas of most lakes are encroached upon, he asked the organisers to identify one village in each district, and to work to rejuvenate the waterbodies there.

Citing the example of Halagali in Bijapur, where the illegal water connections were metered, which helped to increase revenue, he said there are proposals to replicate the same in neighbouring villages.

Meanwhile, Anjum Pervez, principal secretary, urban development department, said there was a need to shift from flood to micro-irrigation. “The consumptive use of water is just 20%. Each drop of water can be used five times,” he added.