Is there an imminent danger of Bengaluru running out of water in the distant future? The southern city recently came second in a list of 11 cities that are facing the threat of running out of water according to an UN-backed study published by the BBC.
The question is whether Bengaluru, the city once known for its lakes, is going the Cape Town way. Over the past three decades, Bengaluru’s lakes have shrunk from 285 in the early 1970s to 194 in 2006 and just over 100 in 2016. At the centre of the crisis is the Bellandur Lake which is known to the city’s largest lake and which is a lifeline for agriculture. There is around 500 MLD untreated sewage that being released through the 842 kilometre-long network of storm water drains, choking the river to death. Gradual concretisation of the city has made matters worse for the city which was once covered with 69 percent vegetation way back in the 1970s. It is now turned into a concrete jungle with 78 percent consumed by structures.
Bengaluru’s water crisis should sound alarm bells to several other states and cities, including Goa, where development has been happening at a brisk pace. Parts of Goa have been grappling consistently with water issues where taps running dry in the summers has been a very common phenomenon.
In June last year, Water Resources Department launched a path-breaking scheme to renovate and revive old unused wells. Termed as ‘Nitoll Goemn, Nitoll Baim’, the scheme was aimed to promote use of ground water where a subsidy of maximum Rs 50,000 per well was provided. Suddenly, the scheme appears to have crumbled just like our traditional wells. Leave aside these wells, there are other water sources like traditional springs which have been neglected and in ruins. One classic case is the Kesarval spring, known for its medicinal and rejuvenating properties.
Goa may be ready to house around 10 million tourists in the years to come but along with the necessary improvements in infrastructure which are envisaged, providing adequate water should also form a significant component. In Goa water shortage may not be so alarming as in Bengaluru right now, but certainly it is a cause for concern going ahead. It’s time the administration visits our water bodies and comes out with a detailed water management plan. We don’t have a Plan B just in case we have successive years of poor rainfall, neither has the State undertaken any rain-water harvesting.
Goa needs to get its act together and either desilt/clean up the lakes. While cutting down on water wastage, the State should also push for rainwater harvesting for all buildings. Systems to treat waste-water should also be explored so that such water can be used for irrigation in areas like Advoi and Vante where 25 acres of cultivated land went without water for several days. We need to preserve our natural resources. A comprehensive plan needs to be worked out for rejuvenation and revival of old water reservoirs and water bodies.
