Bengaluru is grappling with a significant drinking water crisis. The Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, addressing reporters on Monday, disclosed that authorities have been directed to convene daily to devise a strategy for addressing the issue. “We have 11.04 TMC water storage in KRS, 9.02 TMC in Kabini,” Siddaramaiah emphasized. Additionally, the government intends to drill bore wells at 313 locations and revive 1,200 inactive bore wells.
Siddaramaiah underscored Bengaluru’s water scarcity, emphasizing the deficit of 500 million litres per day. He stressed that the city’s actual water requirement stands at 2,600 MLD, drawn from the Cauvery river and bore wells, with a shortfall of approximately 500 MLD. “Out of 14,000 bore wells in Bengaluru, 6,900 have dried,” he mentioned.
Nearly 6,900 bore wells in Bengaluru have dried up due to encroachment or water body depletion. To address the crisis, the Karnataka government is banking on the Cauvery Five project, slated to begin in June, to supply water to 110 villages incorporated into the Metropolitan Bengaluru Municipal Corporation in 2006-07.
Assuring the public, Siddaramaiah reiterated the availability of adequate drinking water storage in Cauvery and Kabini until June. He affirmed the government’s commitment to tackle the shortage by drilling new bore wells and rejuvenating inactive ones.
To manage the situation, officials have been instructed to utilize private tankers, including those from the Karnataka Milk Federation, in slum areas, uplands, villages, and bore well-dependent regions. Task forces will be reinforced to promptly address complaints, and drinking water consumption in parks will be restricted.
Moreover, the government aims to replenish dried lakes in Bengaluru with treated water, akin to the approach adopted in KC Valley. Siddaramaiah assured that there is no dearth of funds to provide drinking water.