Bengaluru water crisis: After gated communities, industrial areas bear the brunt

Bengaluru is currently grappling with one of its most severe water crises even before the peak of summer. According to BWSSB, the situation is manageable in core areas but critical in the city's outer regions, especially near tech corridors where there is no piped supply of water from the Cauvery River.

After gated residential communities, industrial areas in and around Bengaluru are now grappling with a severe water shortage.

With a maximum temperature of 36°C, Bengaluru recorded its hottest day of 2024 on March 5. According to the Meteorological department, a harsh summer awaits.

Among the industrial areas worst affected by the water crisis is the Peenya industrial area in Bengaluru. U Sathyanarayana, honorary secretary of the Peenya Industries Association, told Moneycontrol, "Shortages of water are affecting industries and production. The garment industry relies heavily on water which is also essential for electroplating, CNC machine component manufacturers, and others."

He said borewells in the industrial areas have dried up, and private water tankers have become expensive, driving up production costs. "We are requesting BWSSB to supply treated water to industrial units given the water crisis."

S Selvakumar, principal secretary, commerce and industries, told Moneycontrol, "When there is a drinking water crisis in the city, there is a shortage for industries too. But we are now trying to source water from nearby borewells and private tankers so that production will not be affected."

Also, read: First floods, now dry days: Decoding tech hub Bengaluru’s water woes

Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, president, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI), said, "We anticipated this water crisis due to the weak southwest monsoon and drought. We have to purchase water at a higher rate for the next three months until the monsoon sets in. We also urge everyone to use water judiciously until we receive adequate rain."

Last month, Karnataka industries minister MB Patil held a meeting, acknowledging that industrial areas in Bengaluru urban and rural, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, and Kolar districts were facing severe drinking water problems. Patil said that major industrial districts in the state require a total of 290 million litres per day (MLD) of water, and if the supply is not ensured, the state's industrial growth will suffer.

Sajjan Raj Mehta, trade activist and member of Karnataka Hosiery & Garment Association, said, "The government should ensure that no water is wasted due to the crisis. Even the residences of the CM and deputy CM are facing water crisis. The government should also temporarily ban car washing using water until the situation improves. Instead, they should encourage waterless washing of vehicles."

According to a report by Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs associated with IFMR-Krea University, "In addition to the 1,460 MLD of Cauvery water, Bengaluru currently consumes an estimated 1,372 MLD of groundwater." The current demand is 2,632 MLD, with the main consumers being residents (72 percent), commercial establishments (8 percent), the industrial sector (17 percent), and the construction sector (2-3 percent).

Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods (WELL) Labs

More RWAs issue advisories to ration water

Meanwhile, an increasing number of Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) are issuing advisories on water rationing in apartment complexes. This comes after many private water tanker lorries refused to supply water when the state government began seizing vehicles. The seized vehicles are now being used by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to supply water to households facing severe shortages. RWAs in Prestige Falcon City in Kanakapura Road, Mantri Espana in Bellandur, DLF Newtown, DLF Westend Heights and Hiranandani Hill Crest in Akshayanagar, Nagarjuna Green Ridge in HSR Layout, DS Max Sandalwood in Nagasandra and others have issued advisories to residents about water shortages due to the non-availability of tankers.

Also, read: Bengaluru gated communities face water crisis after govt takes over private water tankers

On Tuesday, owners of around 50 private water tankers, seized by transport department officials, staged a protest at Jambusavari Dinne in JP Nagar. They warned the government that the crisis would escalate if vehicle seizures continued.

Deputy CM DK Shivakumar has also warned private water tanker lorries that are yet to register with the civic body. "Only 219 out of 3,500 private water tankers in Bengaluru are registered with BBMP so far, and the unregistered ones will be seized after March 7," said Shivakumar. He said that water belongs to the government and instructed authorities to supply water from areas with high groundwater levels on the outskirts of Bengaluru. "BWSSB is already using 210 tankers to distribute water for free," he added.

BWSSB supplies water to nearly 10.75 lakh households in Bengaluru. Despite pumping 1,450 MLD of fresh water from the Cauvery River, the present demand is 2,100 MLD. This gap of 650 MLD is being filled by borewell connections and tanker supplies.

In his 2024-2025 Budget speech CM Siddaramaiah said that the BWSSB would operationalise Phase-5 of the Cauvery project, with a capacity of 775 MLD, providing 110 litres of drinking water daily to 12 lakh people at an estimated cost of Rs 5,550 crore, in May 2024.

The 110 villages in the city's peripheral areas, including Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Yelahanka, KR Puram, and Byatarayanapura, will benefit from the Japan-funded Cauvery Water Supply Stage V project, which faced multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pending permissions from the National Highway Authority of India.

Also, read: Water crisis: Bengaluru civic agency opens war room; milk tankers to be used for water supply

Online petition demanding uninterrupted water supply

Meanwhile, an online petition titled ‘Bengaluru Reels Under Water Scarcity’ on act.jhatkaa.org has received more than 10,000 signatures. It demands that BWSSB and BBMP adopt and implement concrete measures to ensure adequate water supply for Bengaluru’s residents. The petition urges BWSSB to make provisions for alternative water sources, such as leasing private borewells and renting additional tankers to bridge the gap in the supply and demand of water.