Bengaluru, fondly known as 'India's Silicon Valley,' is currently grappling with an acute water shortage just months before the peak summer season. This crisis is forcing many residents to ration their water usage and pay nearly double the usual prices to meet their daily needs.
Weak southwest monsoon rains have significantly dented groundwater levels and reduced the water levels in the Cauvery River basin reservoirs, which are the primary sources for the city's water supply. Bengaluru, home to roughly 14 million people and thousands of IT companies and start-ups, is now witnessing a surge in water tanker prices even before the summer heat fully sets in.
Water tanker dealers in some parts of Bengaluru have upped their charges to as much as 2,000 rupees ($24.11) for a 12,000-liter tanker, compared to 1,200 rupees ($14.47) just a month ago.
Residents like Santhosh C.A. from Horamavu in north Bengaluru expressed their struggles, saying, \"We now need to book water tankers two days in advance, my plants are dying and I'm taking alternate-day showers.\"
Adding to the worries, another resident mentioned, \"The worry now is that despite paying, the tanker vendors won't show up due to scarcity of groundwater.\"
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), responsible for the city's water supply, primarily draws water from the Cauvery River, which originates at Talakaveri in Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
In an effort to mitigate the shortage in the coming months, the BWSSB has appealed to authorities for additional water allocations from the Cauvery basin, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
