Running Dry: a battle against water scarcity in the Silicon Valley of India

by Malya Singh

If you live in Bangalore, it is likely that you may perhaps be reading this article while you are stuck in a traffic jam, or you are probably sitting at home and have nothing to do since there is no water at your house. Bangalore is the biggest hub of information technology in India. The city is home to many start-ups, tech companies, engineering and research institutions. Developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators flock to this city with the hope of boundless opportunities and cutting-edge facilities. However, this bustling Silicon Valley of India has fallen short of one of the basic necessities of life, water.

Water availability has become a critical problem in the city with major sources of fresh water drying up and no prospects of rain until monsoon. With a population of about 1.40 crore, the city consumes nearly 1,450 MLD (million litres per day) of water from Kaveri and an additional 700 MLD of water from groundwater resources. However, with the start of the summer season, these sources have gone dry leading to severe water scarcity. According to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, out of the 13,900 public borewells in the city, 6,900 have gone dry. These boreholes are a major source of water for IT corridors.

The shortage has mainly been attributed to the weak southwest monsoon rains as a result of which, the groundwater and the Cauvery River basin reservoirs could not be replenished. This was due to the El Nino effect last year. However, several man-made causes are equally to be blamed, such as unplanned urban growth, excessive concretization of the silicon valley, failure in harvesting rainwater etc. Bengaluru, earlier known as Bangalore was known for its wide network of man-made lakes that helped provide water to the city’s residents. The city, having an elevation of about 900 meters, was surrounded by forests, and had an abundance of greenery, giving it the name-   “India’s Garden City.” However, since the early 1990s, Bengaluru’s transformation into India’s biggest tech centre has been accompanied by rapid urbanisation.  Forests were cut down and green spaces were replaced by commercial spaces of concrete. Kaveri River was one of the major sources of water for the city. However, the expansion of the city was not accompanied by a simultaneous extension of water pipes to new neighbourhoods, leading to their dependence on borewells to meet their water requirements.

While corporations have undertaken measures to ensure minimal usage of water, the effects of the water crisis are felt by the employees and their households. The water shortage has caused the production in the factories to slow down, while several Corporations have decided to give their employees work-from-home options. The prices of tankers have shot up. This would adversely affect the micro industries that would incur higher costs of production.

Early in March this year, The Karnataka government announced that it would take over the control of water tankers that supply water from borewells to households in Bengaluru, given the scarcity of water in the state and the escalation of prices of these tankers. A 12000 litre tanker which cost about Rs 700-800 earlier, now ranged between 1500-1800 amidst the growing demands. In the public interest,  the BWSSB also issued an order on March 7 prohibiting the use of drinking water in Bengaluru for cleaning vehicles, construction and entertainment purposes. Some other measures undertaken by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board,  include installation of aerators at commercial establishments and making permission a mandatory requirement for digging borewells. The Bengaluru water supply and sewerage board also reassured the IT companies about the water supplies, while its Chairman, V. Ram Prasath Manohar held a virtual meeting with the companies to address their apprehensions and discuss measures that can be undertaken to alleviate the water crisis, emphasising the need for responsible use of water.

Recently, BWSSB announced a 20% supply cut to 38 bulk users that include defence establishments, HAL, Biocon, Nimhans, Bangalore University, etc. This measure is expected to save nearly  12 MLD of water daily. This supply cut has now been extended to big commercial establishments, apartment complexes and industries that consume between 20 lakh and 2 crore litres of water a day. In addition to this, The fifth phase of the project to supply Cauvery River water is expected to be completed by May. It would provide about 775 Million litres of water per day. This would bring relief to about 110 villages, covering an area of 225 sq km.

However, the phenomenon of groundwater table depletion and the resulting water scarcity, as well as the drying up of water reservoirs is not limited to Bangalore alone. Residents of many big cities in India are accustomed to water supply cuts and water scarcity during summer. Several cities have already experienced or are on the verge of reaching a zero groundwater situation.  Delhi Jal Board sources about Sixty per cent of the water supplied from the polluted Yamuna, while the remaining comes from groundwater. Residents often open their taps to find brackish water filling their buckets.  Erratic rainfall patterns combined with rapid urbanisation have affected the limited sources of water which are available for Mumbai residents. Water cuts are imposed by BMC when the water levels in Mumbai’s lakes, its major source of water, deplete. Despite receiving ample rainfall, Chennai experienced a dire water crisis in 2019, becoming one of the first major cities in the world to exhaust its groundwater resource. The city had to resort to transportation of 10 million litres of water to meet its population’s needs. A study by the Indian Institute of Science has revealed that Hyderabad may be on a similar trajectory as Bengaluru, and has experienced rapid urbanisation, resulting in excessive concretization of the city, hindering groundwater percolation. Most of the water bodies in the city are either polluted or encroached.

 “Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023”, published by the United Nations University-Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), states that “78 percent of wells in Punjab are considered overexploited and the northwestern region as a whole is predicted to experience critically low groundwater availability by 2025”. A study by the  University of Michigan has found that the groundwater usage by farmers for irrigation has intensified as a result of rising temperatures in India. Going by this trend,  the rate of groundwater loss could triple by 2080, eventually leading to a food and water crisis as India is one of the largest consumers of Groundwater as well as a major source of food supply.  In addition to this, According to the government data, The 150 reservoirs, which are monitored by the central government, and that supply water for drinking, irrigation and hydro-electricity projects- were filled to about 40% of their capacity in March.

It may perhaps be late, but it’s never too late to undertake intervention and preventive measures to prevent further overexploitation of available water resources and replenish and recharge the groundwater resource. Some of the measures that can be undertaken by the authorities include the establishment and conservation of green corridors, restoration and rejuvenation of small tributaries, mandatory installation of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems and artificial groundwater recharge structures in the apartments, commercial complexes, and other public areas.  Expansion and planning of urban areas should be done in a way to include more green spaces. Dysfunctional bore wells can be used again for recharging groundwater, through which rainwater can seep back into the ground.

Necessary regulations should be made and enforced to ensure that natural water bodies such as lakes or ponds are not encroached upon. Polluted lakes and ponds can be restored through proper treatment and prevention of further discharge effluents into them. Developmental projects should focus on creating and restoring traditional sources of water. The use of alternative sources of water, such as treated wastewater, at various stages of production should be made mandatory for industries. It will help in reducing the demand for groundwater. A dual sewage system for grey water and black water should be developed and used. Other steps that can be undertaken include compulsory effluent treatment, reuse of used water, zero liquid discharge, etc. Recycled water can be reused in agriculture and horticulture.

 Agriculture is the biggest consumer of groundwater in India. The first step to ensure efficient water use will be the installation of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems that use less water and lead to less water wastage. A shift in cropping patterns would also be helpful. For instance, in Punjab, rice cultivation leads to excessive water use in the kharif season. This problem can be solved, with a shift to cereal crops that require less water such as jowar, bajra, maize, etc.

These measures can help in conserving water in various sectors. They are not the guarantee of immediate results, but they would surely help us to leave a better place for our future generations. Sustainable use of resources is the need of the hour, which requires a proactive working together of government and citizens. 

Works Cited

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By Malya Singh, third year History student, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi