Waiting for water at public taps in some parts of Bangalore is a continuous affair, so much so that such containers are found throughout the day.

 

 

   As if the crippling traffic of India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and slow infrastructure growth were not enough, Bangalore now faces an additional problem to reckon with – an acute shortage of drinking water.

   Bangalore’s main source of water is the Cauvery River which, however, is nearly 100 kilometres away and located at an altitude of about 1,500 feet (or about 457.2 metres) below that of the city.

   Therefore, the city’s water authority – Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) – faces the twin challenge of overcoming the obstacles created by both distance and altitude.

   Presently the city gets about 810 million litres per day (MLD) from the Cauvery. 

   The only other source, the Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) reservoir built across the river Arkavathi, used to supply about 140 MLD. But the supply from the TG Halli has come down to about 50 MLD because of the degradation of its catchment area.

   The total available supply of 860 MLD is not only lower than the demand (which is up to 1,100 MLD) of the city’s seven million people but there is another problem as well: Almost 30 percent of the supply is lost through leakage and pilferage, leaving only about 600 MLD for the households.

   The city has about 360,000 household connections but the BWSSB supplies only about 100-125 litres of water per capita, compared to a national average of 140 and international average of 200. 

   The BWSSB has managed bridge the supply gap by pumping up ground water and has been trying to manage demand by resorting to intermittent supply on alternative days.

   Private tanker operators have stepped in to fill in the unmet demand, but the water they supply at 250 Indian rupees (about 5.4 U.S. dollars) for 1,000 litres is beyond the reach of the poor. What’s more, most of the water supplied by tankers is tapped from deep wells, with little or no restriction on withdrawals that could have long-term consequences.

   There are plans to build another pipeline to bring water from the Cauvery, but experts say even then the project (which is already delayed) would have a supply enough only for meeting the demands for another five years.

    “There is no seriousness about conservation. Worse, a rainwater harvesting policy is languishing while it should have been implemented long ago,” says V.Ravichandar, a member of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force, a private-public partnership group.

   “There is no accountability and the projections with which the authorities seem to be working are very vague and ambiguous,” adds Ravichandar, whose organization became inactive with a change in political leadership two years ago.

   Bangalore’s drinking water shortage intensifies during February to May when the TG Halli reservoir dries up and the water table sinks below pumping levels.

   The dry spell this year has even forced the BWSSB to bring out public notices asking residents not to use piped water for non-essential purposes such as hosing yards, washing cars and gardens and to recycle water used for laundry and in the kitchen.

   It was also forced to begin rationing supply even in the city’s main business areas.

   Bangalore’s antiquated distribution system, with pipes laid 50 years ago, is another reason for the shortage. The BWSSB has resorted to only minor repairs rather than replace the rotting, leaking pipes.

   “The only sure way of solving the (water) problem is by revamping the entire distribution system, and we are also looking at other ways to improve the situation,” says BWSSB chairman N.C. Muniyappa.

   Privately, BWSSB officials admit that they also have major financing problems, which they cannot overcome in the short run.

   Almost 70 percent of BWSSB’s finances go into paying electricity bills for pumping water. The cost of pumping a kilolitre of water is about 35 Indian rupees (0.75 U.S. dollars) but it recovers only about 14 Indian rupees (0.30 U.S. dollars) per kilolitre.