Bengaluru water crisis: Money spent like water, for water (2024)

FAQs

Is Bangalore water crisis real? ›

An acute drinking water crisis in Bengaluru has been creating international headlines for the past few days. On Monday (April 18), Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Bengaluru was facing a shortage of 500 million litres of water every day, which is about a fifth of the city's daily total demand.

According to Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board chairperson Dr V Ram Prasath Manohar, the city requires 150 litres of water per person per day, with a total quantity of 200,000 million litres per day for Bengaluru's population of 14 million.

Improving Supply:

This includes watershed management, aquifer recharge, and holistic urban planning to protect water resources and enhance ecosystem services. Revitalising Lakes & Tanks: Revitalising lakes and tanks for water storage presents a promising solution to Bengaluru's water crisis.

Primary water sources. The two primary water sources for Bengaluru are the Cauvery, which provides 1,450 million litres per day (MLD) of surface water, and borewells managed by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP), which provide 700 MLD.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday pegged Bengaluru's current water deficit at approximately 500 million litres per day (MLD) against the city's demand of 2,600 MLDs. Of this demand, 1,470 MLD is sourced from the Cauvery river, while 650 MLD is extracted from borewells.

703 million people lack access to clean water. That's 1 in 10 people on the planet. Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours carrying water every day, walking 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) every day to haul 40 pounds of water.

The water samples were subjected to organoleptic, physical, bacteriological and chemical tests for toxic substances and all 10 samples from Bengaluru fared poorly on all parameters. The only city which topped the chart is Mumbai where piped water was found safe for drinking.

The new Vrishabhavathi Valley Plant, adjacent to the Metro station, can treat up to 150 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) of sewage. The waste generated reaches the STP by gravity. It begins at Sankey Tank and then flows via Malleswaram, Okalipuram, Deepanjali Nagar, Nayandahalli, Hosakerahalli and Banashankari.

A study of Bengaluru's water needs by the Karnataka government has pegged the daily demand at 2,650 million litres per day (MLD), of which 1,450 MLD is drawn from the Cauvery. The rest is being met from groundwater.

The key to a water-secure future for Bengaluru, and indeed for all our cities, is that water supply must be affordable. Only then can it be sustainable. In the case of Bengaluru, water is sourced from the Cauvery, some 100 km away, pumped up and transported. This means the cost of water is high.

How is India fixing their water crisis? ›

Teaching farmers updated irrigation techniques, such as drip irrigation, and utilizing more rainwater harvesting are small, effective steps in stemming the loss of freshwater sources. Much of India will also need modern sanitation policies that both conserve and wisely utilize water sources.

Understanding Day Zero

It marks the point where water demand surpasses supply, leaving authorities with no choice but to shut off municipal water systems. Factors contributing to Day Zero include climate change, population growth, urbanization, and inefficient water management practices.

The Umngot River in Meghalaya is considered the cleanest river in India.

Bangalore was once a city of 1,000 lakes.

The earliest record of the lakes dates back to the 16th century, when the founder of Bangalore—a chieftain known as Kempe Gowda—began constructing artificial tanks for irrigation, fishing and drinking water.

The Bangalore Water Supply case involved a seven-judge Supreme Court panel that defined “industry.” It introduced the “triple test,” focusing on systematic activity, employer-employee cooperation and goods/services production for human needs. Philanthropic activities or lack of profit motive were irrelevant.

The water samples were subjected to organoleptic, physical, bacteriological and chemical tests for toxic substances and all 10 samples from Bengaluru fared poorly on all parameters. The only city which topped the chart is Mumbai where piped water was found safe for drinking.

The Bangalore Water Supply case involved a seven-judge Supreme Court panel that defined “industry.” It introduced the “triple test,” focusing on systematic activity, employer-employee cooperation and goods/services production for human needs. Philanthropic activities or lack of profit motive were irrelevant.

The crisis in Bengaluru is caused by scanty rainfall in the Cauvery basin — which accounts for 60% of the city's water supply — and the depletion of its groundwater reserves. Like in Cape Town, Bengaluru's water reservoirs have fallen to critically low levels due to this.

As urbanization proceeded swiftly, lakes became polluted with sewage and industrial runoff. Rapid urbanization, an influx of people, and the resultant demand for land contributed to their decline. Between 1885 and 2014, most lakes in the heart of the city vanished (Figures 1 and 2).