Bengaluru has water reserves for only 5-6 months if rain fails: BWSSB chief

Bengaluru: The state capital could face a drinking water shortage within the next five to six months if Karnataka does not receive adequate rainfall, Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairperson Dr N. Manjula said on Thursday.

Addressing reporters, Manjula said the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir presently holds a gross storage of 20 TMC of water, of which only 14 to 15 TMC is available for drinking water purposes.

“On an average, Bengaluru requires around 2.2 tmcft of water every month. If the available water is reserved exclusively for the city, it would be sufficient for about five to six months. However, water from KRS is also supplied to other cities and towns, and that needs to be taken into account,” she said.

The BWSSB Chairperson cautioned that a prolonged deficit in rainfall during the ongoing monsoon could result in a water crisis in the state capital.

“If good rains do not occur, Bengaluru will face a shortage of water. We are closely monitoring the situation,” she said.

Manjula said BWSSB has already activated its “Sanchari Cauvery” initiative to ensure water supply through tankers in areas experiencing scarcity. Currently, around 150 to 200 tanker trips are being undertaken every day, while the board has the capacity to scale up operations to nearly 1,000 trips daily if required.

“We have been monitoring the situation for the past two months. As of now, demand for tanker water is not very high,” she said.

Appealing to citizens to use water responsibly, Manjula urged residents to avoid wastage and adopt conservation measures as a precaution.

She also expressed optimism over weather forecasts predicting moderate rainfall in the Western Ghats and the Cauvery catchment areas, which are expected to contribute to inflows into the KRS reservoir.

“There are predictions of moderate rainfall in the Cauvery basin, and inflows are continuing. We will have to wait and see how the situation develops over the coming weeks,” she added.

Her remarks come amid concerns over below-normal rainfall in several parts of Karnataka and increasing apprehension about the availability of drinking water in Bengaluru if monsoon inflows into major reservoirs remain inadequate.

It can be noted that the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, totalling about 4 tmcft, starting July 29.

Karnataka has challenged this directive before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) due to severe storage deficits. The issue has also taken a political turn with the BJP accusing the Congress government of failing to present the interests of Karnataka state effectively before the CWRC.

–IANS