Water Supply

Bengaluru gets its water from a reservoir 90 kilometres away and 350 metres below the city's elevation. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has to spend approximately  ₹3 crore daily on electricity charges to pump this water to meet only half the city's needs. This is for the four stages of Cauvery water supply, which provide 1,460 Million Litres a Day (MLD). With Cauvery Stage 5 delivering an additional 750 MLD, the costs are expected to rise significantly. On the other hand, the BWSSB, based on the findings of a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science…

As summer starts kicking in, the strong likelihood of a critical water shortage in Bengaluru is again making headlines. A recent report by BWSSB and Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) reported 80 wards that will face severe water crisis and scarcity this summer and recommended switching to Cauvery connections, as groundwater is depleting at a faster rate.  With back-to-back government orders on groundwater extraction and restrictions on water usage, the administration is scrambling to manage the crisis. Citizens, too, are acutely aware of the looming scarcity — many have already begun cutting down usage, and seeking alternative sources to brace…

Does the water supplied to your home smell strange or taste metallic? With growing concerns over drinking water contamination in Chennai, it is a wake-up call for residents to question what is coming out of their taps. A survey conducted by IIT-Madras revealed that water in 75% of city homes is contaminated with E. coli, a bacteria responsible for causing diarrhoea and vomiting. Moreover, another IIT-Madras study discovered the presence of harmful chemicals known as forever chemicals or pre- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in major water bodies such as the Buckingham Canal, Adyar River, and Chembarambakkam Lake. Samples from a…

As summer intensifies, Bengalureans are once again worried about their taps running dry and the possibility of steep hikes in tanker water prices. Water shortage could be critical this summer in 80 wards, according to a study released by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) last month. The study, resulting from a collaboration between BWSSB and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), predicted a sharp decline in the groundwater levels of these wards by April. These wards, mostly located in the city’s peripheries, are dependent on groundwater. In a press release, BWSSB chairperson Dr Ram Prasath Manohar said…

Bengaluru’s lake system is a distinctive feature of its urban landscape, shaped by the city's unique topography. It is designed to manage its water resources effectively. Divided into three main valleys — Hebbal Valley to the north, Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley to the south and southeast, and Vrishabhavathi Valley to the west and southwest — the city’s lakes form interconnected cascades that enhance water storage, control floods, and recharge groundwater. This is Part 1 of a three-part Citizen Matters explainer series on Bengaluru’s lake systems. Part 1 explores Bengaluru’s lake system, highlighting its functions and features.  Part 2 focuses on the assets of a…

In Pallavaram, a sleepy suburb of Chennai, the water supply from the Palar River — once the lifeline of every household — has turned into a silent threat. On December 5th, three residents lost their lives in separate incidents allegedly after drinking the contaminated water. At least 50 others were rushed to Chromepet Government Hospital over three days with severe diarrheal symptoms.  The locality is in the Tambaram City Corporation limits. But, neither the corporation nor Tamil Nadu's Public Health Department has specified the cause of the deaths (as of publishing this article). The BJP's state unit has claimed that…

Mumbai has numerous dams at about 100 km from the municipal boundaries of the city. Yet many in the city do not have access to water. If you look closely at who cannot use this water, it is mostly people living in informal settlements and bastis. In 2012, we at Pani Haq Samiti filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, demanding water for all in Mumbai, as per Article 21 of the Constitution, which highlights the right to dignity and the right to life.  The HC verdict directed the BMC to create a “Water for All”…

Every afternoon in Delhi’s Yamuna Khadar, a daily ritual unfolds as the residents, mainly migrant workers from Bihar working as waste collectors, anxiously wait for the arrival of the Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) water tanker. The tanker stops at the far end of a kutcha road lined with shanties and heaps of garbage.  Usually, children aged 5 to 6 enthusiastically run to announce the arrival of the tanker. Soon after, women arrive, balancing large containers in their arms and around their waists, while men on bicycles hastily make their way to the main road. For the people here, this water…

Water shortages in the Vyasarpadi neighbourhood of North Chennai have been a persistent issue. Most of the housing board settlements lack piped water connections. Residents must collect water from communal taps in the locality or from water tankers that periodically visit. Typically, it is the women who bear the responsibility of transporting the water to their homes. They are forced to carry many loads of water up many flights of stairs, sometimes having to carry it up to the 13th floor of their buildings. Read more: Chennai’s water woes worsen as reservoirs dry up and groundwater levels decline This strenuous…

“Does Mumbai feel the need to conserve water?” asked Sanjay Ubale, executive board member of Mumbai First at a conclave about water in Mumbai. With easy availability of water from seven reservoirs, the city has the best per capita water ratio in India, and so, there is less incentive to conserve water or practise rainwater harvesting, he explained. Why would societies spend funds to store water for future use when they are getting water at highly subsidised rates round the year, he asked. Statistics too suggest the same.  Approximately only 3000 societies of the total estimated 20,000 societies in Mumbai…