World Water Day: Why Bengaluru's lakes cannot be taken for granted anymore

World Water Day: The Mahadevapura area in east Bengaluru, which is dealing with the water crisis, was also severely hit by the floods back in 2022.

In September 2022, east Bengaluru was hit by flash floods, with the rainwater overflowing from the lakes and the IT capital’s troubles had then become national headlines. Almost 17 months later, Bengaluru is running out of water, and the residents continue to struggle. The lakes of Bengaluru played a crucial role in both the incidents that tested the patience or otherwise the spirit of Bangaloreans. On World Water Day, it is essential to note that the lakes of the city cannot be taken for granted anymore.

World Water Day: Why Bengaluru's lakes cannot be taken for granted anymore.

Lakes of Bengaluru

How many lakes are there in Bengaluru? The number has never been constant as rapid urbanisation and the IT boom evidently defaced many water bodies in the city. However, according to civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) website, there are 17 functional lakes in the civic body limits at the moment. Lakes play a key role in recharging the ground water units, which are mostly running dry in Bengaluru.

Speaking at a YouTube podcast called “Ooru labs”, Vishwanath Srikantaiah, a prominent water activist and expert, said, “The major reason for borewells going dry apart from lack of rainfall is that the lakes are not manually filled. If Bellandur and Varthur lakes are filled with treated wastewater, these two lakes would be recharging 102 million litres per day (MLD). The influence zones are as much as 10-12 kilometres radius, and apartments that fall in this radius could be drawing water from their borewells.”

However, Bengaluru's water supply board is now planning to step into action and fill the dried lakes of the city with treated wastewater that can potentially help the borewells recharge ahead of peak summer.

‘Water’ is always an issue: East Bengaluru residents

The Mahadevapura area in east Bengaluru, which is currently dealing with the water crisis, was also severely hit by the floods back in 2022, with incessant waterlogging across the streets and even in posh residential communities.

Shivani T, an IT employee who lives in a high-rise building in Devarabisanahalli of Mahadevapura, said, “I moved to Bengaluru in August 2022, and soon after I came, I was affected by the floods and I was unable to step out of home for my basic needs as an excess of water is everywhere. My day-to-day life is once again affected, but now due to lack of water. I hope that the issue will be resolved as soon as possible because I now get water only at specific times, and I will have to store it for usage.”

A senior citizen, Hanumanth Rao, complained that the governments only act when there is a crisis and do not have a plan of action ready. “After the 2022 floods, the government demolished some buildings, saying that they were built on lake beds. After the water crisis finally hit us, they are filling lakes with treated water. It is high time for the people in governments and civic bodies to show some preparedness on such avoidable problems,” he said.

According to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 6,900 borewells out of 14,000 borewells in Bengaluru are running dry currently. The monsoons are expected to arrive in the first week of June, and the Chief Minister claimed that they will supply water from the Kabini and KRS reservoirs in Mysore.