From schools to fire department, how Bengaluru’s water shortage is driving the city to a Cape Town-like situation

This concern was echoed by Dr TV Ramachandra, professor, Centre for Ecological Science, Indian Institute of Science, as well.

Bengaluru requires nearly 1,450 million litre per day (MLD) of water from the Cauvery and an additional 700 mld from groundwater resources. However, with both sources going dry, several distress calls have been coming in from various industries, institutions, and residents.

The water crisis in the city has impacted large apartments, gated communities, government and private schools, fire brigades, hotels and restaurants, which are reeling under severe shortages due to the demand and supply gap. Experts have pointed out that the situation is an outcome of multiple factors including, depletion of groundwater resources, lack of access to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) water supply connection, and inefficient water management system, among others.

After the Karnataka government took over water tankers, capped prices, and penalised for misuse of potable water, Bengaluru residents are on the edge ahead of the two to three months of summer. The BWSSB has been urging apartments and gated communities, as well as commercial establishments, to use treated water for non-drinking purposes and said it would ensure a regular supply of potable water.

Apartments and gated communities

Sprawling over several hectares of land in the peripheral region of the city, several gated communities and apartments boast of clubhouses, gyms, swimming pools, parks, and other amenities. But the lack of groundwater and challenging access to water tankers, apartments and gated communities are staring at desperate times.

A case in point is the Prestige Falcon City off Kanakapura Road. A Reddit user, who claims to be a resident of the luxurious apartment, anonymously posted about how the apartment is being rendered ‘inhabitable’ because of the water crisis. The user claimed that there is no water supply during the daytime forcing tenants to vacate flats. “You get to smell the stink of unflushed human excreta in toilet bowls from far away. It’s not uncommon to see a line of residents going to the nearby forum mall to do their business…too much frustration and pain to bear when you are paying EMI for 1 cr+ of housing loan,” the user wrote on the platform.

However, Captain (Retired) Vasantha Kumar, President, Resident Welfare Association, Prestige Falcon City refuted the user’s claims as “unfounded and baseless”.

“As of now, we are supplying water two times a day for two hours each. There are over 2,500 flats and we require about 10 lakh litres of water per day. We are managing water through a combination of BWSSB, borewell, and Cauvery water. Water tankers are supplying water to us. But the real challenge is the next two to three months. We are anticipating rainfall which can mitigate the crisis. If not, it will be very difficult,” said Kumar.

“We were slightly apprehensive about the government’s decision to take over water tankers. Until now we have not faced any issues. The water tankers are supplying water to us consistently. We have regulated the use of borewell water consumption and have directed residents to go for waterless car washing options. The swimming pool is also not operational. As for gardening, we are using treated water,” he added.

Bengaluru fire department

The Bengaluru fire department has also been hit by water scarcity but it is now dependent on other water sources with the city reporting more than 50 incidents every day on average.

The Indian Express spoke to officers at multiple fire stations who said their water sources have been affected. A fire department officer said, “We usually face this situation in April or May, but it has started in early March this time.”

For instance, at the Electronic City fire station, an officer said they were getting two inches of water but now it has reduced to an inch. “We get five to six fire calls every day. This inch of water has to serve both the station and also the residential quarters of the staff. We are not getting sufficient water. After attending a fire call, we search for water sources such as lakes or some borewells on our way back to fill up the fire tenders. We refill and return to the station,” the officer said.

Some of the officers at the fire stations which have Cauvery connections said they are managing but are anticipating a worse situation ahead.

Yunus Ali Kausar, Deputy Director (Fire Prevention), Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services Department, admitted there is a water shortage but said it is not affecting their operations. “We get water from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) sources and other places. So, if we don’t get water from our borewells, we depend on other water sources,” said Kausar.

Bengaluru schools

This time, Bengaluru education institutions have also fallen victim to the water crisis, forcing Abheek Academy on Bannerghatta Road to temporarily shut down its home school.

Indraa Raju, founder of the home school, said, “Our home school is activity-oriented with children participating in multiple activities involving water. With no regular water supply and uncertainty of water tankers, we had to shut our home school temporarily.”

At government schools, authorities are making alternative arrangements for drinking water and toilets. “We are arranging mineral water cans to cater to drinking water needs and calling tankers for water in toilets. The borewells have completely gone dry and we need to rebore to tap the groundwater. The BWSSB has assured us of early action,” said an education department official.

Hotels and restaurants

While many hotels and restaurants are managing with robust water management systems including rainwater harvesting and STPs, some hotels in East Bengaluru like Sarjapur and Marathahalli seem to be struggling with water scarcity.

Ajay Gowda, managing partner, Byg Ventures, and promoter of brands like microbrewery Byg Brewski, said, “Some of us have taken the preemptive decision of installing adequate water management systems, anticipating such a water crisis much earlier. It is indeed a challenge to operate given the situation in Bengaluru. But all we are doing is requesting cooperation from customers to use water judiciously. We have installed diffusers to our water taps, which reduces the flow by 30 per cent than regular tap water.”

“The crisis seems to have affected some restaurants and hotels along Sarjapur Road that don’t have BWSSB connection. I have heard from some of my colleagues in the business who are struggling with water scarcity. But I believe none of the hotels or restaurants have shut due to water shortage. I urge the government to focus on recharging borewells, creating lake beds, and enforcing adequate water management systems in both residential and commercial establishments, as they would for infrastructure projects.”