As an unusually hot summer takes off, the effects of drought are already showing. With borewells drying up, parts of the city that are not serviced by piped water are facing a severe shortage. The worst-hit are households that have borewells and turn to water tankers only during the dry months. Now in the meantime, the water crisis has forced a family to move out of Bengaluru. The family, which was staying in Hosahalli Extension in Vijayanagara, moved to a relative’s house in Mysuru after they struggled to get water even to bathe their newborn baby.
A Grim Reminder
This is just a grim reminder of the severity of the situation in the city which is gradually going the Cape Town way. Several areas in Bengaluru are facing a severe water crisis, leaving the residents of the city worried and wondering what their options are.
Nagendra Rao, assistant general manager of a nationalized bank says, “It was extremely difficult to manage. Just a few days before my granddaughter was born, the water shortage began in our area. We were totally dependent on tanker water, the supply of which was also erratic. With no other option left, we had to leave Bengaluru”.
After the delivery, his daughter, a professor at a private college, came home with her baby. “Tired of ordering tanker water which had proved a costly affair, the family decided to move to Mysuru where their relatives agreed to house them for the next few months. “We are not coming back at least till the summer is over,” said Nagendra Rao.
Several other residences in this area are suffering the same crisis for almost 15 days. “We get water supply from the BWSSB every alternate day. In the last week of March and the first week of April, there was absolutely no water supply. We initially thought it was temporary and we could manage, but the situation only turned from bad to worse,” said a resident of the area.
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What Executive Engineer has to say?
Shivaram SG, Assistant Executive Engineer, West 1 sub-division Admitted that there was a major water crisis in the entire Vijayanagar area for almost 15 days. He says “Yes, there was a major water crisis in the area. Almost three to four supplies were hit. We found that there was something stuck in the pipelines and water was not reaching the area. Meanwhile, water consumption of houses with borewells had also gone up due to summer, leaving the area with almost no water for 15 days”.
However, the officer said the issue is being resolved. “At many places, the water supply has been regularised,” he claimed. He further said, “People also have realized the importance of saving water. If we don’t save by consuming less water, it will be extremely difficult for people in Bengaluru to survive”.
Source: The New Indian Express
