Tech corridors to face heat as water tankers call strike

Amid rising temperatures, a general strike by tanker owners on Monday threatens to cut water supply to thousands of residents in Bellandur, Marathahalli and surrounding areas where the supply of Cauvery water is poor.

Water wars are brimming in the city much ahead of the full onset of summer as farmers in Hoskote taluk, especially those from villages near Bengaluru, have begun protesting against the commercialisation of borewells. After sustained pressure, the Hoskote tahsildar was forced to act by removing illegal electricity connections for borewells.

R V N Babu, president of Bengaluru East Private Water Suppliers Association, said about 600-700 tankers will not operate on Monday.

“We are supplying water to Bellandur, Marathahalli, Whitefield and nearby areas under BBMP limits. We are doing the work of BWSSB but our services are ignored and unilateral decisions are taken by officials who do not consult us,” Babu said.

Asked about the exploitation of water in villages, he said the members of the association draw water “only from those areas along the Dakshina Pinakini river with rich water tables”.

The situation in villages, however, is different. The farmers’ protest was such that some gram panchayats were forced to issue a resolution against those “selling water from their borewells”.

After farmers in villages under Muthsandra Gram Panchayat staged a dharna last month, the Panchayat Development Officer made a public announcement clarifying that they have not given licence for selling groundwater. In Muthsandra, a borewell was drilled with panchayat funds and pipelines were laid to quench the thirst of parched areas.

“There are individual farmers who are lured by the money offered by tanker operators. They get Rs 300 to Rs 600 per tanker, depending on its capacity. Some pump out enough water to fill 10 to 15 tankers everyday,” a leader of the Muthsandra Gram Panchayat told DH.

An official at the Bengaluru district administration said the present situation has arisen out of complex political reasons and not because of any commitment to protect farmers. “An all-party meeting will be held on Monday to address the problems. At the end of the day, the tankers are able to exploit farmers because people in Bengaluru are ready to pay high price for water,” the official noted.

Elangovan Kulandaivelu, a resident of Whitefield, said the water scarcity in east Bengaluru was the direct result of an unplanned and unregulated development.

“Officials give building permissions though they can’t provide water. They will collect property tax but won’t provide basic amenities. These are people contributing to the economy of the state but their needs are not met,” he said, adding that higher awareness and enforcement were needed to ensure the implementation of sustainable measures like rainwater harvesting.