Preparing for the big water challenge this summer

Water scarcity has been a recurring annual crisis Bengalureans have been facing for years. This year too, the scenario will not be any different although the Cauvery verdict gives some respite. DH spoke to residents to ascertain their views on the impending challenge this summer.

The water shortage gets particularly acute in the outer BBMP wards of the city. Rama Acharya, a resident of Hebbagodi, who lives in an apartment, has to depend on borewells and water tankers. "There is no supply from the government. Most of the time, we depend on borewells. But during summers, water output from these borewells reduces drastically," she points out.

Not all borewells go dry though. Owners of such wells strike lucrative deals with tankers to make a killing. "While we struggle for water, they use it unconcernedly. Even behind our house, they wash their building walls and grounds everyday," she says.

Residents in the area are not sure when the BWSSB supplies would start. Most feel it may not be any time soon. "But it is necessary, as we cannot depend on borewells all the time. They had once stopped the supply at Bommanahalli," recalls Acharya.

Similar problems are experienced by residents of other peripheral city areas. Regina, a resident of Kothanur, buys water from tankers everyday. "Though we have dug a borewell, we never found water. We do not have Cauvery water either. But the water from these tankers is not very safe. It is very hard and we have to use water softeners before we fill up the tanks," she says.

Regina depends on water purifiers for drinking. "During summer, it becomes harder to find tankers, and costlier as well. Besides, there will be power cuts due to which tankers cannot be filled. Water supply then becomes very scarce," she explains.

An apartment resident on Kanakapura Road, Raksha Acharya too faces the same problem. "Our apartment requires almost 80 tankers a day. During summer, they increase the prices of the tankers. So we get half the number of tankers. When they do not supply enough tankers, they say they'll close the taps for a fixed period of time."

To address the shortfall, the apartment association has started recycling waste water. "Water that gets out of the bathrooms and toilets is recycled for plants. Efforts are now on to store this recycled water as well," she explains.

The apartment is the last building in the area to get Cauvery water. "Unfortunately, there is no big enough tank to store the water. So both the tanker and Cauvery water gets mixed," she says. A couple of years ago, faced with an acute shortage, the residents here had taken water from fire hydrants and extinguishers. These were filled up later once the crisis passed.

Maithili Arun, a resident of Arekere, Mico Layout talks about how prior preparation helps them tide over the crisis year after year. The apartment complex has a Cauvery connection and a borewell. "We have ensured that there is minimal usage of water during certain times. We need to preserve our natural resources and we do everything possible to ensure that," she says.

For instance, there is a strict rule that only half a bucket of water should be used to wash a car. "Another way we save water is by ensuring that the water from the purifier outlets go back directly to the tank. The water we use to clean our front yard also gets recycled."

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB)'s insistence that they install Rainwater Harvesting has helped the residents here. Says Maithili, "Our RWH system takes the raint water all the way down, almost 25ft. This ensures that at least the ground water can be recharged somewhat."