Bengaluru Residents continue to struggle with drinking water shortage amid drought crisis

Amid the water crisis in Bengaluru, residents were spotted lining up outside the RO water plant with empty cans, hoping to secure essential water supplies. The depletion of groundwater and drying up of over 3,000 borewells have made life difficult for many.

Due to the scarcity, many now rely on the RO water plant. “For the last few days, we have been facing problems. We are fully dependent on the RO plant,” said a resident.

Some residents also complained about the untimely supply of water. “We get less water and we have to make 2-3 visits to check if water is available. Kaveri water is supplied only once or twice a week. Rains haven’t started yet so there is no underground water and even the Kaveri River has less water,” said Shabbir, a resident.

Many IT professionals have opted to work from home to save water. “If we get work from home it will be good as the water will be saved. It will save our time and water,” said Amogh, an IT employee.

Varsha, another IT employee, said, “More amount of water is spent if the employees go to the offices. It’s better to work from home. Never thought that we would get WFH because of water scarcity.”

The public’s plight highlights the need for effective water management strategies to address the ongoing crisis in Bengaluru.

The Congress and BJP have been engaged in a political feud over the water shortage in Karnataka. The BJP has accused the ruling party of diverting Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, exacerbating the crisis. However, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah refuted the allegations, calling them a “blatant lie.”

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar criticized the BJP for politicizing the water crisis. “There is no scarcity of water in Bengaluru; it is the BJP that has created the scarcity. We are providing what we have been legally asked to provide to Tamil Nadu. Our priority is to provide water to Bengaluru,” he said.