Bengaluru is battling a crisis, but it must leverage water for peace

Six years ago, when I purchased my flat in Bengaluru, I never experienced any difficulties related to water. However, today, there is a significant amount of discussion among the local residents, focusing mainly on the water problems within our society. 

It makes me wonder, what has changed over these years? How did Bengaluru end up becoming the headline of every newspaper? With a plethora of information circulating regarding the water crisis in the city, I attempted to comprehend the situation from various perspectives.

Bharat Aithal, a former scientist at Indian Institute of Science and currently an associate professor at  Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, conducted an extensive study on urbanisation in Bengaluru. 

“The problem can be attributed to two primary factors. Firstly, the management of water resources in Bengaluru is currently plagued by severe limitations and inefficiencies. Secondly, overpopulation and urbanisation is exerting a significant strain on the city’s natural resources resulting in declining blue green spaces in city,” said Aithal.

The city has experienced a sharp 1,055 per cent rise in built-up areas in last five decades. This population increase is primarily driven by migration driven factors such as job opportunities, resource availability and an improved quality of life. As early as 2014, warnings were issued about rising temperatures, the disappearance of green cover and constant water scarcity in Bengaluru due to the expanding built-up areas, but there was no action about it.

Arun Kumar, a  water, sanitation and hygiene entrepreneur and a resident of Bengaluru, explains that the city’s transformation from the “Garden City” to the “Silicon Valley” epitomises its current state. The water scarcity crisis is not a recent phenomenon but the result of a long-standing disregard for sustainable development. 

Bengaluru’s rapid expansion has been largely fueled by migration, according to Kumar. However, the city’s administration has demonstrated a lack of foresight and resource planning, which is compounded by their inefficiency. 

Historically, Bengaluru’s position in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats meant it had an arid climate. Previous rulers recognised this and built a system of interconnected, community-managed tanks to harvest rainwater and replenish groundwater, the primary water source. But as the population increased, reliance on piped water grew rather than conserving our wells and lakes, which led to the disappearance of wells and public hand pumps to run dry. 

The rapid changes in Bengaluru’s dynamics and the fading of its distinct identity, were also highlighted by Kumar. He observed that, in contrast to his childhood, when water scarcity was more about supply and cost issues, today’s issues stem from consumption patterns. He further noted an increase in per capita water consumption to 250 litres per day, attributing it to a pandemic of materialism — suggesting that our behaviour is the crux of the water problem.

Deepa Swaminathan, a Bengaluru resident, reported that her gated community in Bengaluru is experiencing acute water scarcity, with limited water supply hours. Out of six borewells, only one remains functional, satisfying a mere 30 per cent of the community’s water needs. Residents attribute this to insufficient rainfall during the last monsoon and acknowledge the contributing role of urbanisation and human activities. 

The drying up of Bengaluru’s lakes over the years is a testament to this, with land that once held lakes being allocated for construction three decades prior—a result of careless urban planning by local authorities in association with developers. As general elections approach and the city endures sweltering heat and water shortages, it’s clear that greed has exacerbated the situation. Historically, the poor and marginalised segments of the population bear the brunt of these crises. Urban residents typically seek temporary fixes and are reluctant to adopt sustainable conservation practices.

Depinder Kapur, director for Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, is also of the opinion that if city master planning is to be effectively carried out, it must grapple with market constraints, such as land monopolisation by those with capital and accommodating affordable housing. Under these conditions, no planning approach can succeed unless it addresses these systemic issues. 

Manas Rath, founder of LEAP cities, questioned whether the carrying capacity of a city like Bengaluru has ever been assessed, a practice typically reserved for fragile ecosystems. Rath raised concerns that such a concentration of population in a city may inherently lead to intense competition for resources. 

While all of them may have unique perspectives on the reasons behind Bengaluru’s water crisis, there are certain widely accepted factors that are crucial for sound urban planning to avert such crises.

The establishment of integrated water management infrastructure, including rainwater collection systems, reservoirs, and water treatment facilities, in areas surrounding Bengaluru can alleviate the burden on Bengaluru’s resources. This can result in a fairer allocation of water, reducing the excessive use of local water sources in the city. 

The implementation of diverse water sources must be encouraged to enhance the ability to withstand and recover from water constraint. Decentralised groundwater recharge systems and ecological restoration projects in Bengaluru and other surrounding districts can supplement Bengaluru’s water supply.

Reviving dying wisdom is also crucial. The recent revival of citizen-led initiatives to restore ancient tanks and wells offers hope. For a water-secure future, efforts to rejuvenate the city’s water bodies and investments in rainwater harvesting, wastewater recycling, and upgraded water distribution systems are essential. 

Bengaluru treats only about 64 per cent of its total wastewater and untreated water pollutes the available water resources. The city also uses a meagre 30 per cent of the waste water. Treating all the wastewater can lessen the burden on the fresh water resources.

There is a need to create more economic centres and planned satellite towns too. Rather than trying to “fix” the current Indian mega-city, alternate attractive destinations for migrants can ease pressure on existing metro cities. 

Also needed are more sensible approaches for water conservation, rainwater harvesting at the community level, industries and the use of tap aerators for individual water consumption reduction as viable conservation methods. 

City fringes are developing in an unplanned manner and by the time they become consequential, the land use, land ownership, and economic activity patterns are already locked into sub-optimal patterns and hard to change. Urban expansion needs to be controlled.

Timely desilting of lakes, regular maintenance of treatment plants and regular inspection of faulty pipelines carrying water will reduce the wastage of water, increase the water retention capacity and abate the pollution of surface water. Strict monitoring of centralised and decentralised treatment systems, rain water harvesting system, and condominium sewage treatment plants will ensure their functionality

Better urban planning is also needed to put a cap on encroachment of lake and integrating more water sensitive urban designing and planning features.

Improving institutional and policy environment is also key. According to water conservation expert Vishwanath Srikantaiah, Bengaluru does not have any river basin Institution and a management plan to save the receding catchment of Cauvery river. Strengthening of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and create cells for ground water and reuse of treated water are also some measures suggested.

Demand vs supply management is also necessary, along with adopting more water efficiency measures, investment in information, education and communication campaigns and offering a combination of tariffs and incentives.

The world recognises March 22 as World Water Day and the theme for this year is Leveraging Water for Peace, which fits well for cities like Bengaluru facing water challenges. We need to rediscover the potential for utilising water as a means to promote peace and sustainability. 

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