'THIRSTY BANGALORE' HAS ONLY 15 DAYS WATER RESERVES

By Khaja Pasha / Bangalore

Bangalore is fearing an acute water shortage in days to come. Municipal officials have warned that the city has water only for the next 15 to 18 days.

Already residents like Hiral Dhilla, from Rajajinagar are forced to buy water from tankers nearly six times a month. This mother of two is now preparing for the worst.
"Because Bangalore is expanding left, right and centre, it is going to affect the water supply. Somebody said 'roti kapda and makan' are the main asset of any person but they forgot to mention water, which is also very important. So I think it is going from bad to worse, not worse but very bad. We need to do something about this," Hiral Dhilla said.

At Krishnarajasagar, the city's major source of water, the water level has stood one foot below the dead storage level of 65 feet. The water supply board, officials say, has no contingency plan to sort the acute water scarcity.

The only source of water for Bangalore city other than the Cauvery river, the TG Halli reservoir, too, is in no state to come to the city's rescue. And with Mysore also being affected and with no early signs of monsoons, the water crisis is set to intensify.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "Yesterday, I took up a meeting with the concerned officers and there will be no problem of drinking water in Bangalore city and also Mysore and other parts of Karnataka."

But despite the government's assurances, the reality is that the crisis had been staring in the face of the government and the state water board for quite some time. Now, with the state water board admitting it has no contingency plan, the only hope is that the monsoon sets in quickly.