water shortage

Come summer and Bengalureans can be seen obsessively discussing water, or rather the lack of it. While water tankers bring momentary relief, residents can’t help pondering over the long-term implications of water shortage. To find solutions to the water crisis, the third water workshop organised by ADDA, a company that offers an integrated apartment management software for gated communities, brought to light several ongoing sustainable water management initiatives. On March 23rd, representatives of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), citizen groups and activists met at the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) campus to seek solutions to the ongoing water crisis in…

Over 2.4 million (24 lakh) people in Bengaluru face the prospect of severe water shortage in the near future, a study by the Department of Mines and Geology has reported. In fact, going by the growth in population of the city and the water requirement per person per day, the city harbours about 2.2 million (22 lakh) more people than there is piped water to supply them. This is before the commissioning of the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme's Stage IV, Phase 2, project. This project if it meets the target of 500 million liters a day (mld), will marginally improve…

The water situation has never been so grim in Whitefield. In the past eight years of my stay here, I have seen water supply dwindle down from twice a week to once in ten days. From February this year, there has been no water supply at all. There are deviations in the original water pipelines leading to communities and apartments. Residents get this done by bribing the linemen. I spoke to K Nagaraj Hoodi, Assistant Engineer, BWSSB (East) about the inequitable water supply and the corruption which is enabling water supply to certain communities alone. Hoodi gave an excuse that…

In the two-day BBMP council session on water, as each corporator spoke about the water problem in their wards, they all had one demand in common. Borewells. And more borewells."I need 20 borewells in my ward", said one. "Give me 10-15 borewells", said another. At the end of the session, as BWSSB Chairman P B Ramamurthy announced the various projects taken up by the Board, the corporators requested him to mention the immediate plan of action to address the water crisis and demanded a response to how many borewells were going to be installed immediately. Mayor S K Nataraj and…

S Vishwanath is a pioneer in rainwater harvesting. He is the founder of Rainwater Club, a city-based group that promotes and provides information on rainwater harvesting. Vishwanath has been working in the areas of urban planning, ecological architecture and water management for the past 25 years. Rainwater Club was one of the winners of the 2009 Namma Bengaluru Awards. In this interview with Citizen Matters, Vishwanath speaks about the desperate water scene in the city and suggests what immediate measures can be taken to address the issue of shortage.S Vishwanath, Rainwater Club. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal When you hear of water…

With taps running dry and citizens left crying hoarse for want of water, the state government and Bangalore city council have gone into damage-control mode. Mayor S K Nataraj recently announced that borewells will be drilled in each assembly constituency and water will be supplied through tankers. A borewell being drilled in Yamalur in North Bangalore, by Maanasa Drillers and Borewells. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal According to BWSSB's Public Relations Officer (PRO) A N Prahlada Rao, starting last Sunday, the water board will be drilling two borewells a day in each division of the city (North, South, East, West). Rao says…