Bengaluru News

Bengaluru apartment's 'no water’ alert to residents amid ongoing crisis

Bengaluru faces severe water shortage in the midst of dried up borewells and few tankers for relief. Bengaluru city is grappling with a severe water shortage, leading residents to a frantic search for the major source of life in the midst of dried up borewells and few tankers for relief. Some took to social media to share that apartment complexes and gated communities were imposing regulations for smart water usage, putting restrictions in place.

A notice from a well-known apartment complex also made rounds, which read, “We regret to inform you of a critical situation regarding our water supply. We have lust received alarming news that the RTO & BWSSB authorities are seizing all water tankers to ensure water delivery to areas facing severe water scarcity, where there is completely no water available.”

“As a result of this unprecedented action, our water sumps have been depleted, and we currently have no water available in them. At present, we only have water stored in the overhead tanks (OHTs), which may not last much longer. At the most, the water supply will be available for the next one hour. Once the OHTs run out of water, there will be no further water supply available to us,” It added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urged water tanker owners in the state to register with the authorities before March 7 and warned that the government would seize their tankers if they fail to do so.

What is Karnataka govt doing to solve Bengaluru water crisis? Deputy CM DK Shivakumar reveals action plan

Bengaluru is facing one of the worst water crises in its history. The city needs at least 1,680 MLD more to meet its water needs.

Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Monday said that the government has identified 50 per cent of the borewells in Bengaluru that have dried up.

“We have identified that 50% of the borewells have dried up. There is a big problem. There are about 14,700 borewells in Bengaluru and 6,997 have dried up whereas around 7,784 are working. Water doesn’t belong to any individual, it’s for everyone,” Shivakumar was quoted by ANI as saying.

“We are creating a war room. All the officials will try and come up with a solution. We will also fix a common price for water tankers. ₹556 crores have been allocated for water supply,” he added. On Monday, chief minister Siddaramaiah laid the foundation stone of the Vrishabhavati lift irrigation project in the Nelamangala assembly constituency (Bengaluru rural) amid the increasing water crisis in the city.

This comes days after Shivakumar had announced that the government will take over the private water tankers in view of severe water shortage in the state capital. “There is a massive water shortage of water in Bengaluru. The officials of the BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) and BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) are holding meetings on a daily basis to overcome the issue,” the deouty chief minister said on Saturday.

"Of the total 3,500 water tankers in Bengaluru city, only 10%, that is 219 tankers, have registered with the authorities. The government will seize them if they don't register before the deadline," He said at a press conference on Monday.

"Water is not the property of any individual but is a resource that belongs to the government. The government has the right to take control of water sources. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board officials have been instructed to be prepared to supply water from areas where groundwater is abundant. The BWSSB is using 210 tankers to supply water already. Election code of conduct will not come in the way of supplying water," He added. He said the project would permanently solve the water problems faced by the people of Bengaluru and its surrounding rural areas.