Bengaluru: Sparse and delayed monsoon has left many parts of the city parched. BWSSB officials, who were expecting rains in early June and better storage levels at the state’s reservoirs, say that the situation, in fact, was better during summer months than it is now.
“We did not face such a severe problem even in summer months, though there were complaints of water scarcity in a few areas like Yeshwantpur, Rajajinagar, K.R. Puram and Chamarajapet. We, however, managed to meet the demand even in dry months. But the situation has worsened now,” an engineer told Deccan Chronicle.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board draws 1,400 MLD of water from Cauvery river and Kabini reservoir. Water from Kabini is pumped to the city from a distance of 150-160 km.
The official said that the delay in monsoon was unexpected and the board is hoping for rains by next week. “We do not have any contingency plans as we hope that there would be rain by June,” he added.
Playing down the water crisis, BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief T. Venkataraju said that the situation is under control. “We are pumping sufficient water and meeting the demand as of now. We are pinning our hopes on rain. If it doesn’t rain in the next week, it will be tough to sustain the supplies,” he added.
On Friday, the live storage of water at Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in Mandya district was 2.845 tmcft as against its capacity of 8.5 tmcft. An executive engineer in KRS told Deccan Chronicle that regions in the Cauvery belt may not face drinking water problem in the immediate future, but there could be trouble for 18 cities where Cauvery water is supplied.
“We released 600 cusecs of water to Bengaluru on Friday. Usually, the demand is a little more. As there has been no rain in the past month, we are trying to meet the basic requirement. We have still not reached a grave situation and hope to sustain a few more months,” he said.
