Bengaluru water crisis: Residents push for work from home, online classes until monsoon

Bengaluru has been facing unprecedented water shortage with no immediate respite in sight. (Representational image: Unsplash)

Amid the worsening water shortage in Bengaluru and the temperature inching towards 40 degrees Celsius, there has been a growing call for companies to switch to work from home and educational institutes to resume online classes to save water and reduce the burden on the employees and students.

Several citizens and citizen groups have taken to social media to ask Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to make work from home mandatory for IT companies and to allow children to take online classes from home. If the strategy has worked during Covid, it'll work during the water crisis as well, they said.

"With sizzling hot days and severe water crisis prevailing in Bengaluru city and no major rains in sight as of now for the month, it's high time that government of Karnataka considers work from home option till the monsoon begins," wrote a group of weather enthusiasts who go by Karnataka Weather (@Bnglrweatherman) on X tagging the chief minister.

"Water crisis - online classes and work from home? If students and employees are allowed to work from home, many will go back to their hometowns, reducing pressure on city!" commented Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru (@BengaluruAgenda).

Others also pointed out that if employees are allowed to work from home, many may return to their hometowns, reducing the water demand.

"I believe it is imperative that the government suggest work from home for all companies which can or have been doing it in the Covid era. This will lighten the load on the city. People can go back to their hometowns while the government can plan better," said Amit Chaudhury (@mrGlassHfEmpty).

A federation of residents and resident welfare associations in the Whitefield area, who go by Namma Whitefield on X, the Karnataka government in a post wrote, "Please mandate work from home, especially for IT sector. It will allow employees to return to their hometowns, and reduce the burden on Bengaluru! Please mandate online for schools and colleges. It worked during Covid, it will work during water emergency."

Karnataka is likely to witness above-normal temperatures this summer -- March to May, according to the Meteorological department, which has forecast heatwave conditions in north interior parts of the state. According to weather reports, there is no immediate respite in sight for its parched capital.

"We are not having any cloudy weather and therefore, the temperature is rising but there is probability of normal rainfall as well," A Prasad, Scientist, India Meteorological Department (IMD), told news agency PTI. "No rainfall happened in February. And it is mainly because of this El Nino condition that this time we had an early summer-like situation. Though the summer begins in March, its effect is being felt from February itself for the last few years. It's also because of global warming," he said.

Read more: Bengaluru water crisis: Posh gated community asks residents to use disposable plates, wet wipes