Bengaluru: The city is reeling under a severe water shortage, and private water tanker operators are raking in the moolah. Though the BWSSB claimed that it has not begun rationing of water, eastern and south-eastern parts of the city, which fall at the tail end of the supply chain, are running dry. Some parts of the core area are also witnessing water shortages and are at the mercy of water tankers.
For the residents of older TMC and CMC areas, water supply is only through private tankers. “A single tanker which used to supply 5-7 loads of water a day has now almost doubled their trips. They are charging anywhere between '600 and '800 for a mini-load of water. They refuse water supply to independent houses and concentrate only on bulk consumers like apartments. They are minting money and officials of BWSSB and BBMP are turning a blind eye to this exploitation of groundwater,” said Mr Kumar of Bhattarahalli.
“The number of private water tankers in core parts of the city and outskirts will cross 1,000. With no regulation in place, they are exploiting the citizens,” said Mr D S Rajashekar, president, Citizens' Action Forum. “Even pockets of core Bengaluru are running short of water and depend on private tankers. They are doing brisk business because of the nexus between water tanker operators and officials of BWSSB and corporators,” he said. The BWSSB should bring private water tankers into its ambit and issue licences as they are running without any regulations, and are exploiting groundwater.
