Demand BWSSB and BBMP to adopt and implement concrete measures to ensure adequate water supply for Bengaluru’s residents.

Addressed to:
Dr Ram Prasath Manohar, Chairman BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board)
Tushar Girinath, Chief Commissioner BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike)
DK Shivakumar Minister for Water Resources Department Karnataka

 

Our Demands
Immediate Supply of Water for Bengaluru:

BWSSB should make provisions for alternative water sources, such as leasing private borewells and renting additional tankers to bridge the gap in supply and demand of water.
BBMP must regulate and subsidise the prices of all Water Tankers.

 

To tackle the larger root causes of water scarcity:

Mandating industries and commercial establishments to use tanker-treated water.
Run awareness campaigns to educate residents about water conservation practices.
Implementing water conservation policies such as the BWSSB Rainwater Harvesting Regulations and Guidelines, especially in commercial establishments and societies.

Bengaluru has been facing a water crisis for over four years, and things are only projected to get worse! Citizens have been demanding better management of water resources, but our pleas have constantly been ignored.

Complaints of infrequent water supply have become increasingly common in areas like Koramangala,Hebbal, Banaswadi, and JC Nagar. Water supply schedules have also become more irregular with shorter hours of availability.

Bengaluru currently has access to about 1,850 million litres per day (MLD) but needs at least 1,680 MLD more to meet its current and growing water needs. Due to groundwater depletion and poor monsoons, borewells are at risk of drying up, impacting high-density areas reliant on them. BWSSB has identified 257 areas facing potential water scarcity.

Currently, an estimated 20% of Bengaluru city is reliant on private water tankers and faces exploitation at the hands of private tanker organisations that charge unreasonably high prices for water supply. Residents in some areas are forced to pay INR 2000 and upwards to their tankers per month. These prices will skyrocket during the summer.

BWSSB officials have claimed that poor monsoon is the reason for this drop in the water table. While poor monsoon exacerbates the problem, it is not the root cause! If authorities want to sustainably deal with Bengaluru’s water scarcity, authorities must ensure implementation of policies regulating the digging of borewells, building effective rainwater harvesting systems, and rejuvenating the city’s lake water. 

With summers looming ahead, Bengaluru has little time. We need the authorities to take action before Bengaluru’s citizens face the brunt of an extreme water crisis!