Protest by SUCI for free & equal water distribution in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Bangalore District Committee of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) (SUCI) held a protest at Freedom Park on Wednesday, urging immediate action to address the persisting water scarcity.

Demanding short- and long-term solutions, protesters slammed the government for its lack of foresight to address the crisis.

"The crisis was looming with little rain and drying lakes,” said Shobha S, the party’s district committee member.

The protest highlighted the disparity in water distribution, with residents of high-rise buildings getting not less than two hours of water, while the lower class gets water for just 15 minutes a day.

V Gnanamurthy, secretary of SUCI, Bengaluru North District, told DH: "Slum dwellers are the worst hit (by the drought). Those with a Cauvery water connection at least get their supply once in three or four days. But then, the flow is thin, and they should wake up at odd hours to get their supply."

He told protesters that rapid urbanisation caused the crises and demanded the city grow vertically. “Industries continue to extract huge amounts of borewell water,” he said. “Water’s industrial use should be regulated and borewells should be dug after prior permission.” This was something the BWSSB has called from March 15.

In the short run, protesters called for free and equal distribution of water, while in the long run, they wanted an action plan for water conservation drawn by urban experts, including a collaborative effort by the BBMP, BWSSB and lake authority, to revive old lakes.