Bengaluru water crisis: How Indigo is tackling the problem of water shortage

Indigo Airbus planes have also been fitted with customised water-saving nozzles

Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka are still dealing with a crippling water shortage that has disrupted day-to-day life for many residents. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said Bengaluru is facing a shortage of about 500 million litres of water per day (MLD). There are 14,000 borewells in Bengaluru, of which 6,900 have dried, the chief minister told reporters earlier this week.

With the water crisis escalating, several companies operating in Bengaluru have come up with steps to minimise water usage. One such company is Indigo, which has partnered with Swedish innovation company, Altered, to achieve 98% water conservation on their flights.

“Bengaluru has been facing severe water shortage due to rapid urbanization and increasing pressure on resources,” the airline said in a statement. “As India’s leading airline, IndiGo is committed to help address the scarcity of natural resources and promote sustainable practices. We have recently partnered with Swedish innovation company, Altered, to achieve 98% water conservation on our flights, which means we uplift lesser water from Bengaluru for the 180 flights operating daily from the city.”

All Indigo Airbus planes have also been fitted with customised water-saving nozzles. “All our Airbus aircraft have been fitted with innovative water saving nozzles that will not only lead to savings from fuel and water but also significantly reduce carbon emissions. We understand the importance of reducing our water consumption and this new initiative underscores our commitment to a sustainable future,” the low cost airline said.

Indigo had announced its partnership with Altered in January this year. In a statement released at the time, the airline said its customised nozzles would reduce on-board water consumption by up to 98%.

Other companies besides Indigo have also taken measures to tackle Bengaluru’s water crisis. The Volvo Group India is reusing and recycling water at its Hoskote site. The group has also sensitised its employees about the importance of water conservation.

“We must all act to support our society and mitigate the serious water crisis that Bangalore is facing. Volvo Group has been conserving water for a considerable amount of time by reusing, recycling, rainfall collection, and groundwater recharge at the Hoskote site,” said S Gangadhar, Vice President, Volvo Group Trucks Operations, India.

“We have committed to proactively taking measures to promote groundwater recharge since it’s a critical resource that we need to run our operations efficiently. Through rainwater harvesting, we store up to 11 million litres of water; 8.5 million litres are conserved in ponds for groundwater recharging. The remaining water is recycled for non-drinkable uses such as flushes and handwashing at our treatment plant,” Gangadhar added.