Inadequate rainfall is the primary reason. It has led to shortage of water in Cauvery River and also dried up borewells; two of Bengaluru’s principal sources of water for drinking and irrigation.
Crisis may worsen if there is no significant rainfall in the coming days. Already close to half the borewells have dried up.
If situation goes bad, Bengaluru could go in second round of Work From Home following Covid. People would be forced to go back to their native places and work from home instead of suffering without water in the Silicon Valley of India.
Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) believes, situation is manageable in central city areas, but it’s very serious in the city's outskirts.
The authorities are taking emergency measures: BWSSB is directed to take charge of all irrigation and commercial borewells in the city, stating that water does not “belong to individuals.”
Of 16,781 borewells on record, 6,997 borewells have dried up. The remaining 7,784 are operational.The government will be drilling new borewells, state ministry informs.
It has further mandated the registration of every private water tanker in the city. This is to control the “tanker mafia" that is using the situation to charge anywhere between ₹500 to ₹2,000 for a 1000-liter water tanker.
Additionally, Karnataka Milk Federation is advised to clean and deploy the milk tankers to supply water in Bengaluru.
Citizens are implementing their own emergency measures. Residential societies have instructed their residents internally to stop washing cars and balconies. To bathe with half a bucket of water, save water in flushing, and use waste water from purifiers for cleaning and mopping.