E-Paper
Karnataka: Water shortage persists for Whitefield residents
Residents of Whitefield area in Bengaluru complain about water related issues amid lack of proper supply for months
It takes ₹10,000 a month for residents of Whitefield area in Bengaluru to book tankers that supply water just enough for their daily use, complain locals, amid lack of proper supply to their colonies, specially in the last two months. Though some residents complain that water issues have plagued them for longer.
“It has been six months since we have received proper water supply. They say it is because of some issue with the Cauvery pipeline and a list of other things. But we do not know what is exactly happening...” says Ershad Ahemad (36) who lives at Prestige Boulevard in Whitefield. The apartment complex has 144 flats.
Ahemad said the residents have been trying to follow up with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board officials but have not received a response. The ward committee meetings that the residents used to raise their concerns are also not being held regularly, he alleged.
“Our is a relatively new society. So we are currently dependent on the borewell water. We get a bit of Cauvery water as well, but it is next to nothing... I know a number of colonies nearby that have to arrange for water tankers. People end up spending ₹10,000 a month just for water,” said Ahamed, adding, “The boring water is also not the better option. Due to high salt content, the skin of the residents here develops rashes.”
One tanker with a capacity of 10 litres costs ₹1,600 - ,800, residents said.
Utham Sadashiv (42) who has an independent house in the area alleged that the water supply is not even 50% of what they would get earlier. “I have been facing this issue for a couple of months. I do not get a response to any of the complaints I have made to the officials concerned. I have filed over six complaints. I have to book at least three to four tankers every month which costs me ₹2,500-3,000.”
Another Whitefield resident Venkatesh S (60) who also has a house on the main road said that the problem has only aggravated over the last 1.5 years, with last month being the worst. “Before January 2022, I used to get enough water to take care of our needs. I have 8,000-litre sump as well. We are supposed to get water twice a week, and every time I would receive water, the sump would overflow. I also used to get good pressure. Now, I have reduced the level of the pipe in the sump by another 2 feet, but still there is no water. This is a serious problem,” Venkatesh said.
Venkatesh alleged that the BWSSB officials either don’t respond to his complaints or come up with a different excuse every time he reaches out to them. “First, they said that my sump is too far away from the main water line and asked me build one closer to the gate. Then they said that after Covid there is more demand for water since people who left the city came back. Now, they are saying that there is a pressure problem. But even after changing the pump, there is no improvement.”
Venkatesh alleged that the officials who are regulating water are hand in glove with the water tanker suppliers. “There is a water mafia. By not giving us enough water, we are forced to go to the water tanker for supply.”
It’s not just Venkatesh who pointed at the illegal tankers selling water at exorbitant rates. Srinivas Reddy (50), who stays in T-ZED Apartments which houses over 100 flats, also attributed the decline in borewell water to the unregulated tanker business. “An operator will draw water from 5-10 borewells and draw all the water in the vicinity. Borewells up to 500-600 ft are dried up now.”
“I have been to the BWSSB office and ground water board. Wherever possible, I have given letters, but no use. They say there is no regulation of the tanker business. This is the situation in the entire Whitefield area,” Reddy said.
Mirza Ahmed, a BWSSB Executive Engineer, however, said the issue is due to power fluctuation during summers. “As a result, some of the areas in Whitefield have been affected. When the power comes, the timing would have been changed as well. This is the issue we have been facing for the past two months.”
The BWSSB official also blamed the increase in usage over the years for the erratic supply. “Initially, a house would have been using 20,000-25,000 liters with the support of borewell. Now since the borewells have gone dry, one’s usage of the BWSSB water is also increasing. As a result, people on the upstream areas get a good amount of water but there would be some issues on the downstream side. These are the practical reasons.”
“The allocation which was done in 2012 under the Cauvery Stage 4 Scheme, the same allocation remains till date. Whitefield has actually overgrown. There has been a 3-3.5% increase in population. The overall supply is the same, but the demand has increased,” Ahmed said.
However, Ahmed said that the officials, with the limited budget constraints, are upscaling the water supply pipeline. “It’s a time-consuming and continuous process. We are also not aware where the density of the population can increase. So, the pipeline in that area would not be adequate to supply enough water. It requires an augmentation, and we take it up in stages,” he added.
