Condominium occupants shell out huge amounts for tanker water supply

Bengaluru: The planners of Bengaluru have painted a rosy picture about the city calling it glorious names like the IT hub, Garden City, silicon city the fastest growing metropolis and whatnot! But take a closer look as many areas in the city are deprived of their water and one of the worst affected is the hallowed new generation town, the Whitefield.

The resident associations of high-rise buildings in Whitefield are experiencing total blockage of tapped water (Cauvery water) for a long period- as long as six months and their borewells are showing depletion of their source, they are now totally dependent on tanker water of which quality is always under a cloud. Each of the condominiums is spending a fortune on tanker water and the bills are going up as much as 15,000 per month in many places.

The worst case of water woes is found in Umiya Woods apartments in Whitefield where there are 96 flats and for the last six months there is no water supplied by the BWSSB (Cauvery water).

Samarjeet a resident told Hans India that “not a drop of water has trickled for the last six months from our taps connected to the mainline of Cauvery water. We have a borewell which supplies us with limited water and from time to time we must get tanker water costing not less than Rs. 1200 to Rs.1400 per tanker of 15,000 litres thrice every week. We do not know why our share of Cauvery water is not given to us for the last six months our association and our plumber had investigated in every angle and also gave appeals to the BWSSB multiple times, but there is no respite”.

Ershad of Prestige Boulevard has a heart wrenching story. “Our children are suffering from skin rashes due to salty water of the borewell, we had it analysed it and shockingly it carried 1500 Total Dissolved Salt (TDS) particles which is high by any standard. Our residents are suffering from e-coli and other bacteria and water-bound infections on a regular basis. We also spend a lot on tanker water which is indeed a drain on our income” Similar stories are there on Prasad layout and Gopalan Condominium in Whitefield. But where does the water go? It is not that there was a drought in the state and there were copious rains in Bengaluru city.

If inflow has reduced significantly, then we need to consider this issue very seriously. Is the water in Cauvery river reaching dangerously low levels.

Then what is the point in expanding Cauvery Stages when there is no water to pump? Shouldn't the state shift its focus to providing "local water security", by restoring local watershed management and ensuring all rainwater is sent into the ground and groundwater levels recharged, and reducing dependency on Cauvery water? says Sandeep Anirudhan convenor of ‘Namma Whitefield’.

The Comprehensive State Water Policy Draft is gathering dust with the Karnataka Knowledge Commission. Shouldn't the State Govt immediately adopt it and address the issues of Water Security, as we face the growing impact of climate change? Residents have been complaining about water supply for two months now, many communities are surviving purely on tanker water. We have been raising the issue with BWSSB officials and they say Cauvery water supply is reduced, and they had some technical problems also. But 2 months is too long for people to suffer without a basic need like water. BWSSB needs to better manage its infrastructure. This is not excusable.

Another incredible case is of Venkatesh, a senior citizen who has a property by the side of the Whitefield main road leading to Varthur Kodi. “I have not got Cauvery water since January 2022, I still do not know the reason, I myself am a mechanical engineer and am baffled by the flimsy reasons the BWSSB engineers throw at me. They say my meter is 2 feet too high for the water to climb but I used to get water to my kitchen which is at least 6-7 feet high than the supply lines before Jan 2022”

He alleges that the people who manage the release valves may be tampering with our water by allowing malpractice. “ I have made my investigation that now there are pumps available that is connected to the water lines at sucks water from the line dry and only those people who have fixed those pumps get water. I am an ethical citizen of Bengaluru city and I will not take up such steps” he adds with a certain degree of pride. But what will you do for water? when asked he just shrugged and gave a sigh. Many citizens want the name 'Whitefield' does not suit anymore and it should be called

Greyfields!