Those elusive little drops...

Water crisis is back with renewed force in the new BBMP areas, raising serious questions about the solutions taken to address this annual ordeal for the residents

The sultry summer days are back to sap the Bangalorean. But beyond that perceptible rise in the mercury, the sweat and sun, it is the return of the water crisis that has stumped the citizen yet again. The much-delayed Cauvery water supply to the new BBMP areas is still a mirage, and the residents are back in queues awaiting that pricey water tanker round the corner.

Like every year, all that the authorities could offer are promises of more borewells, most of which are guilty of pushing down the groundwater table dangerously below potable levels ! 

Once fed by thousands of lakes, Bangalore had never experienced the lack of rivers. But with lakes encroached on, filled up and effectively destroyed beyond conservation, the City had only the distant Cauvery to turn to. The lack of adequate supplies from the Hesaraghatta and Thippagondanahalli reservoirs only added to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) problems in sourcing the precious water.

Eventually, what have we is a unique scheme, where water is drawn 100 km away from the City and pumped up to a level of 900 metres from the sea level. Every drop of Cauvery water is pumped using electricity and distributed to different areas.

The water supply scenario was relatively secure till 2006 in the City’s core areas. But ever since the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was formed, adding the seven CMCs (City Municipal Councils) of Rajarajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli, Bommanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Mahadevapura, Byatarayanapura and Yelahanka, one Town Municipal Council – Kengeri and 110 villages around Bangalore, the demand for water skyrocketed.

The mushrooming of huge apartment complexes and software parks only worsened the crisis.

Mindless exploitation of groundwater (borewells) has left vast swathes utterly dry. In many areas, even at depths of 1,000 ft and below, borewells are not yielding any water.

Hapless residents are dependent on private water tankers, which are ready to make a killing. “I purchase every drop of water through water tankers. The price of every tanker increases during summer. I never thought that I will have to struggle for water despite staying in a luxury apartment,” laments a spokesperson from Alpine Eco, located on the outer ring road near Doddanekundi, Marathahalli.

Yet, despite the very obvious and deepening water crisis, there is no let-up in new apartments. Big builders and developers are still luring prospective flat buyers, beckoning them with picture-perfect visions of natural surroundings, gyms, jacuzzis and facilities galore. Deliberately pushed under the carpet is the ground reality on water availability.

The scenario is no different on areas bordering Hosur Road, which are growing at a rapid pace. The areas in and around Electronics City are also facing an acute water shortage.

Varsha, who bought an apartment at Singasandra, Hosur Road, had no idea she would have to shell out huge amounts of money for water. “Water from borewells here is very hard, and we cannot drink water directly from the tap. We need to use expensive filters with reverse osmosis (RO) technology, which eventually removes all the nutrients in the water. Although the water is soft, it is devoid of minerals,” she says.

The newly added BBMP areas do not have sanitary lines either. Most residents have dug pits, which affect the quality of water available in existing borewells. In Ramamurthy Nagar near KR Puram, people have soak pits to let out waste water. “There is a huge problem for water in my area. Although we have some borewells working, water that gets pumped is salty.  Since there are innumerable soak pits here, the groundwater has been contaminated, leading to salty water,” explains A Krishnamurthy, a resident of Ramamurthy Nagar.

Pilferage

Though most core areas receive Cauvery water from the BWSSB, many localities do not get regular supply since they are bogged down by unauthorised, illegal connections and water pilferage. Water mafias thrive in areas such as Pillanna Garden, Devarajeevanahalli, Tannery Road and surrounding areas. The BWSSB has failed to address the issue of valvemen mafia and water theft, thereby severely affecting water supply.

“The area is thickly populated and roads are very narrow to lay any pipelines. The existing water valves are controlled by local goons who collect money from the poor for water supply. Even top officials in the BWSSB can enter these areas only with police protection,” admits a Board official.

Water leakage, wastage

Many of the main feeder water pipelines in the City are more than 50 years old. Even the existing distribution lines in certain areas are 30-40 years old. Due to corrosion and various other breakage problems, half the water supplied to the City is wasted in leakages. Out of 810 million litres received per day from various stages of Cauvery water distribution, nearly 48 per cent goes down the drains as the BWSSB has failed to plug the leaks. Despite the efforts to replace pipelines on a regular basis, the amount of leakage is not in proportion to the frequent replacement of pipelines.
  
The BWSSB is thus left with just about 400 million litres of water to supply to six lakh-odd connections in the City. The Board supplies a large share of the water to Bangalore South and West areas. These areas, on an average, receive water for 6-18 hours every alternate day. Most households completely depend on Cauvery water.

Equipped with underground sumps and overhead tanks, they manage to get access to water for 24 hours. But despite the fact that water is supplied to every household by drawing from 100 km and pumping to a height of 900-1000 metres, many residents use water lavishly. Cauvery water is usually used to wash cars and water gardens.

Rainwater harvesting

The BWSSB had brought in an amendment in its Act to make rainwater harvesting compulsory in buildings constructed on 60 X 40 sites and above, and new constructions in 30 X 40 sites. The compulsory law has not been openly accepted by the residents due to which the deadlines have been extended several times.

The Board had also formed an expert committee, which recommended rejuvenation of the Arkavathy catchment area to restore the original supply of 180 million litres of water per day and to increase the supply to 250 million litres per day. It also recommended reduction of unaccounted-for water (UFW) in different parts of the City by replacing leakage and corroded pipes, to reduce wastage from 48 per cent to 16 per cent and to save 200 million litres of water per day.

Among the long-term plans, the committee proposed to divert west-flowing Netravathi and Hemavathi rivers to yield 10 tmc ft of water for the City. There are also plans to draw water from the Tungabhadra or Krishna river to the City. 

However, some water experts have condemned the BWSSB expert committee’s proposal of diversion of rivers and drawing water from faraway water sources, terming them uneconomical and not eco-friendly.

These experts have, however, suggested designated storm water drains, collection of rainwater, treating it and distributing it, and arresting pilferage by regularising unauthorised connections in the City.