Bengaluru water shortage forces hospitals to pay Rs 35,000 daily; employees skip work to fill buckets

Bengaluru water shortage: People stand in a queue with water cans to get drinking water at Jnana Jyothi Nagar. PTI.

Summers are yet to set in completely in southern India, but Bengaluru has already facing an acute water shortage for the past few days and there is no sign of abatement, with experts warning situation to get tougher for residents.

The crisis of the natural resources is now hitting hard hospitals in the capital city of Karnataka with some paying about Rs 35,000 daily for water as their dependency is soaring heavily on tankers.

‘Scarcity for the first time’

A report by The News Minute quoted engineering head of Apollo Hospitals in Bannerghatta, Narasimha Moorthy, saying: “It is just the start of the summer. We are facing such scarcity (of water) for the first time.”

‘Hospitals should be prioritised’

Moorthy further said: “Hospitals should be prioritised, as we can’t compromise the medical needs of the public.”

A whopping cost

“As we depend heavily on tankers now, that too at an increased cost, we have to spend at least Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 for water altogether daily,” Moorthy said.

The report said, the two borewells in Apollo Bannerghatta, which gave at least two lakh litres of water daily, have now dried up and the scarcity of water has forced the hospital to depend on at least 40 to 50 water tankers daily.

An infrequent supply of Cauvery water and irregular dispensation by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has increased the price of water tankers exorbitantly in the IT hub of India.

Forced to buy water tankers

Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Whitefield, needs about 8 to 10 lakh litres of water on a daily basis. CEO Dr Ravi Babu said: “Our borewells can barely fulfill the need and the BWSSB has stopped their supply to this area. We are forced to buy water from the tankers, whose prices are frequently increasing.”

As per Babu, the prices for water tankers have increased from Rs 80 per kilolitre to Rs 120 per kilolitre in mere six months.

The medical hospital further said if is forced to agree to the high-price quotation of the water tankers as demand as if they do not agree, they will shift their supply to nearby residents or shops, who need comparatively less water and will be ready to pay the surging cost.

Employees skip work to queue up for water

Employees working in the IT hub of India that has companies like Infosys and Wipro are reportedly forced to queue for hours to secure essential water supplies.

As per a report by PTI, with water rationing measures in place and housing society advisories urging residents to use water sparingly, people are queuing to get water for their daily needs and this has become so dire that some of them are even skipping work to prioritise obtaining water.

Worst in yet to come!

The Bengaluru city and the Karnataka government have been toiling hard to get the situation under control with emergency measures such as nationalising water tankers and putting a cap on water costs. But water experts and residents fear the worst is still to come in April and May when the summer is at its peak.

“Bengaluru is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and the infrastructure for fresh water supply is not able to keep up with a growing population,” a report by Associated Press quoted Shashank Palur, a Bengaluru-based hydrologist with the think tank Water, Environment, Land and Livelihood Labs, as saying.

Palur also said the crisis was a long time coming.

Over a third of Bengaluru’s 13 million residents rely on groundwater which is fast running out. City authorities say 6,900 of the 13,900 borewells drilled in Bengaluru have run dry despite some being drilled to depths of 1,500 feet.

El Nino, a natural phenomenon that affects weather patterns worldwide, along with Bengaluru receiving less rainfall in recent years mean “recharge of groundwater levels did not happen as expected,” Palur added.

The situation is getting more difficult as a new piped water supply from the Cauvery River about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Bengaluru has also not been completed, Palur said.

Rainwater not being able to seep in

As per TV Ramachandra, a research scientist at the Centre for Ecological Sciences at Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science, paved surfaces cover nearly 90 per cent of Bengaluru, preventing rainwater from seeping down and being stored in the ground.

In the last five decades, the city lost nearly 70 per cent of its green cover, he said.

In 2018, the Indian government estimated that over 40 per cent of Bengaluru residents won’t have access to drinking water by the end of the decade.

No politics over water

The model code of conduct (MCC) came into effect on Saturday (March 16) soon after the dates of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 were announced. Amid this, the election commission in Karnataka has increased its monitoring of water tanker activities across the state.

Chief electoral officer (CEO) of Karnataka, Manoj Kumar Meena, said the commission will act against any attempts by political parties or individuals to exploit the distribution of water to influence voters.

“Though there is a regulation by the state government on water tankers, the election commission will also keep a check on the water tankers. Facilities provided by a political party will be treated as a violation as it can influence voters,” the chief electoral officer said.

Bengaluru has been experiencing an unusually hot February and March. Also, the city has barely received rainfall in part due to climate change.

Easy ways to conserve water

Bengaluru-based doctor, Dr. Divya Sharma, shared four ways that she and her family members have taken to preserve water amid the scarcity. Sharing the easy methods, she also encouraged other people in the city to follow them to conserve natural resources.

1 – No overhead showers, used bucket bath. The shower uses 13 litres per minute while a bucket is 20 liters. A 5-minute shower vs bucket bath saves 45 ltr per person. Approx saving: 180 litres

2 – Fixed aerators on all taps. 30-minute dishwashing session now consumes 90 litres versus 450 litres earlier. This is for small utensils throughout the day. For end-of-day full load -A dishwasher is used which is more water efficient than manual washing. Approx saving:360 litres

3 – All waste water from RO is being collected in a container and this water is used for mopping and garden use. Approx saving: 30 litres

4 – Washing machine used once full load is achieved. Car wash has been stopped- every day dusting and alternate day wet cloth cleaning- car still sparkles! Single push flush use. Asked plumber to audit any pipe leakages. Approx saving: 30 litres.

“Small initiatives help save 600 litres per day in our household of four. Plus there is ZERO impact on our lifestyle. Small savings add upto big numbers,” Dr. Sharma said.

With inputs from agencies