Bengaluru recently bore a severe water crisis, and its scars are fresh for those whose lives were upended. From the hush in school corridors to the solemn whispers of hospital wards, from the hurried rituals of crematoriums to the humble routines of household chores, and the fading rumble of factories, the spectre of a city drying out haunts our collective consciousness. The recent rains have brought much-needed relief, but we must not disregard the harsh realities of the past few months.
For citizens who experienced this ordeal firsthand, questions loom large: How did we reach this desperate point? Why did those responsible for our city’s well-being fail to heed the warning signs? Most importantly, what steps must be taken now to ensure we never find ourselves in this situation again?
Understanding crisis inception
The answer to these questions, however, lies in the inception of how most of Bengaluru found itself panting for water.
Bengaluru’s water crisis has deep roots in its rapid growth and swelling population. Within a decade, the tech capital has grown by 76 per cent, outpacing growth in twelve other large Indian cities. It now stands at 140 lakhs in the metro area, a rise of 2.94 per cent from just last year. This surge is straining the city’s water resources, leading to a worrying decline in supply efficiency.
The situation today is dire: groundwater is drying up, lakes are contaminated, and water supply is erratic. Bengaluru leans heavily on the Cauvery River for drinking water, but this source alone can’t meet the city’s needs.
Data reveals that Bengaluru’s demand for freshwater is around 2,832 million litres per day (MLD). Alongside the 1,460 MLD of Cauvery water provided by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the city currently relies on approximately 1,372 MLD of groundwater, accounting for nearly half of its total water needs. The compounding crisis is earning Bengaluru the unfortunate title of a “groundwater quality hotspot” due to excessive extraction. The scarcity of resources further hampers efforts to improve existing infrastructure and implement new solutions, including wastewater recycling and reducing unaccounted-for water loss.
The human cost
The summer of 2024 has revealed that Bengaluruans are not only locked in a water war but also facing accompanying social and economic ramifications. With borewell water running scarce, communities were locked in tense battles for every drop.
In a desperate attempt to manage life with the water situation not long ago, many techies were forced to initiate temporary moves back to their hometowns. The exodus of migrants due to a lack of their basic right to water threatened Bengaluru’s status as India’s gleaming tech magnet. Meanwhile, businesses from towering skyscrapers to gated communities felt the pinch of disrupted supply and soaring costs. Real estate agents also reported plummeting inquiries, expressing uncertainty over the city’s future dwellers. The water crisis in Bengaluru morphed into more than just a dry spell, unravelling the city’s social fabric and crippling its economy.
Root causes
The root causes of Bengaluru’s water crisis stem from systemic failures and complacency at various levels of governance. Supervisory negligence from decision-making bodies with ongoing political tension over the distribution of the Cauvery River’s water has added complexities. Despite attempts to resolve conflicts, judicial and quasi-judicial bodies have repeatedly failed to provide lasting solutions.
Moreover, projections reveal a worrying gap between the city’s future water demand and the available supply. Also, Bengaluru produces 1480 MLD of wastewater, as reported by the BWSSB. This wastewater is intended to be treated in 36 sewage treatment plants (STPs), which collectively have a capacity of 1527.5 MLD. However, the ground reality is that they are still grappling with its implementation citywide.
Furthermore, the BWSSB bears significant responsibility for its inaction in the face of escalating water scarcity over the past two decades. Despite setting up a sewage treatment plant (STP) at Cubbon Park in 2004/2005, utilising advanced Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology, little progress has been made since. The failure to implement multiple advanced wastewater treatment technologies points to an absence of proactive planning.
The failures in Bengaluru’s water sector highlight the government’s dismal performance in stabilising the water supply system. Experts emphasise the absence of an Integrated Urban Water Management Institution to supervise all water sources, from rainwater to treated wastewater. This reflects a broader pattern of neglect, evident in the lack of long-term investments made over the past decade.
Lakes: A missed opportunity
However, probably at the helm of this pattern of neglect are the lakes in the city. Bengaluru, once famed as the “City of Lakes,” has seen a troubling decline in its natural water sources. These lakes, vital for the city’s water needs, were originally fed by rainwater. However, rapid urban growth and pollution have taken their toll, reducing their numbers from 285 to a mere 194, losing 79 per cent of its lakes within a decade, cites an IISC study. The civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), on the other hand, lists 167 lakes in its custody.
“While other cities like Mumbai embrace advanced smart water technologies, lake rejuvenation, and MBR technologies, mobile plants to treat wastewater, why does Bengaluru, the heart of innovation and technology, lag in similar steps? The city has yet to implement comprehensive initiatives for lake cleaning and cultivation, and sewage water reuse,” says Girish Kale, Director, Municipal Business, Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions (India)
As the world moves forward with innovative water management solutions, Bengaluru’s failure to prioritise its natural water bodies stands in stark contrast, raising questions about the concerned authorities’ lack of commitment to preserving natural sources and adopting sustainable water management practices.
Beyond band-aid solutions
Moving away from stopgap measures, addressing Bengaluru’s water crisis calls for a comprehensive approach rooted in challenging mindsets around water, sustainable practices, and innovation. Rethinking urban planning is the need of the hour, with water conservation and its integration into city development strategies being the priority. Modernising infrastructure is equally vital, with a focus on efficient water supply systems and wastewater reuse mechanisms.
When it comes to civic water management, Bengaluru could do well by taking a leaf out of the pages of other cities. For instance, Mumbai city is addressing its water management via water treatment technologies in its industrial areas. To quote one such successful impact- roughly 30000 families in the Chembur area near the plant location in Mumbai have benefited from uninterrupted access to fresh water supply for domestic use as a direct impact of Veolia WTS’s advanced technology-enabled STP run at a leading chemical fertiliser factory.
Such has been the impact of the project that more proactive measures are being planned by the local government. “Some municipal initiatives have achieved excellent results. For instance, MCGM has successfully implemented advanced technologies like MBR technology for their ongoing projects in large STP and river rejuvenation and mobile treatment plants for lake projects provided by renowned water technology providers like Veolia Water Tech Zone. Experts agree that membrane technology offers the best results while using MBR-based STPs combined with other technologies like RO, UV, Ozone, etc. which can make the reclaimed water to nearly potable standards suitable for various uses in cities like Bengaluru,” says Kale.
According to Kale, Bengaluru could take a cue from cities like Mumbai by encouraging its industrial belt to relook at the use of treated water.
Similarly, drawing inspiration from successful models like Singapore and Vietnam, which have achieved significant reductions in water loss and uninterrupted supply through integrated water management, Bengaluru must follow suit. Embracing the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics for smart water management, along with advanced sewage treatment technologies for non-potable use, can pave the way for long-term solutions. It is here that water management companies need to up the ante in assisting the city in its water war.
Furthermore, it is important to strengthen regulations to prevent encroachment on water bodies and promote lake conservation. The lost lakes can be revived through cleaning and rejuvenation efforts while sectioning off freshwater-free zones can safeguard remaining resources. The history of Bengaluru has proven that such rejuvenation is possible after several corporations and private companies restored a few lakes in recent times. It is here that the recent National Green Tribunal (NGT) mandate for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to utilise treated water at Chinnaswamy Stadium sets a positive precedent for responsible water use in public spaces.
Moreover, technology is now available to set up mobile sewage treatment plant (STP) units that can rejuvenate lakes and water bodies in a short time before moving on to another. Again, Mumbai is a testament to this fact since several lakes, ponds and reservoirs have seen the deployment of mobile STP units for their rejuvenation, thereby making more water available for industrial use while civic body’s freshwater supply could be redirected towards domestic households.
A major advantage of using MBR or such membrane-based technologies is its compact footprint. It can be even used as a retrofit for the existing old STPs and increase the throughput with the highest reuse outlet quality. This results in a lowered plant footprint thereby saving space and construction costs.
According to Sharad Tandon, CEO, Tandon Urban Solutions, and an industry veteran with 25 years of experience in Mumbai, the MBR-based STPs are like an oasis in urban deserts for cities like Bengaluru. “The MBR-based STPs produce water which can be reclaimed and reused for any purpose. The technology exists to make it fit for human consumption also but we as a public have to choose to be without water or condition our mind use even reclaimed water judiciously,” says Tandon.
Corporate responsibility also plays a pivotal role. Gleaming examples like the Hebbal Lake restoration undertaken by the Infosys Foundation prove the impact of corporate investment in water-saving initiatives. According to Gopal Madabhushi, Senior VP & Business Leader for South Asia at Veolia WTS, industries need to take the initiative to use sewage-treated water for their industrial purpose as against utilising fresh water from civic bodies. “Such an action will allow the re-purpose of freshwater for drinking. As such, many companies are in discussion with Veolia WTS to follow this approach. Government and regulators also need to consider providing incentives and other mechanisms to motivate the industries to follow this direction,” adds Madabhushi.
One effective strategy is incentivising industries that utilise STP water for their operations. From tax rebates to utility sops and subsidies, local and state governments alike could incentivise industries to take up such rejuvenation projects and switch to the use of treated water.
Bengaluru at a crossroad
Industry veteran Kiran Kumar with over 35 years in the global water treatment industry too reiterates the importance of adopting treated wastewater to ensure Bengaluru’s sustainable growth. Kumar suggests that Bengaluru could do well by also avoiding crises like Cape Town’s ‘Day Zero’.
As Bengaluru grapples with its water crisis, it faces a critical choice: take decisive action or suffer irreversible consequences. Strong steps are the need of the hour, like using 100 per cent recycled sewage water for non-drinking purposes. Adopting the Singaporean model of water recycling (blending treated water with fresh supplies) is the key to raising reuse rates. The success here lies in Singapore adopting the MBR technologies which cause very high quality of discharge thereby allowing civic authorities to mix treated water with fresh water for potable purposes.
Parallelly, Singaporeans welcomed breaking the taboo of using treated water, Bengaluru can take a leaf out of Singapore and replace all non-domestic water usage with treated water. Some practical moves by the residents of Bengaluru can ease pressure on freshwater sources to meet the city’s growing needs.
“People have the right to know the life cycle cost of water produced be it fresh water or reclaimed water. You will be astonished to know that in both cases the cost would be approximately the same but if one calculates the environmental and economic costs then fresh water would prove to be extremely costly. We have designed a layout for BDA where the entire water is reclaimed and recycled; only top-up fresh water is required,” says Tandon.
The challenge is undeniably strong, but Bengaluru’s potential for innovation and problem-solving remains stronger. With bold leadership and inspiration from successful examples worldwide, the city can double down on water security and environmental resilience.
Now is the time to act; Bengaluru’s future hangs in the balance.
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