Starting this year, warning bells have been constantly ringing for Bengaluru during the entire month of February. The water crisis hit the city long before its usual long, dry spells of summer. With the city's water shortage having reached the Legislative Assembly and national media, its effect on skyrocketing real estate prices is not far behind.
On Tuesday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the borewells in Bengaluru have dried up, including the one at his home. While informing them that the crisis has hit everyone alike, he also assured the residents that the government will provide water at a very reasonable rate to all the people. A few weeks ago, the crisis had him addressing the issue in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
"Tankers bridge a huge gap between demand and supply of water. Close to 25% of the demand for water in the capital city is met by water tankers," he said, replying to a query during the question hour. Reliance on water tankers is a concerning piece of news for a city with a population of 1.3 crore and where nearly 10 lakh people migrate every year.
Last month, Bangalore Apartments' Federation, a community welfare association, conducted a rapid survey on water tanker costs in different parts of the city. Disparity in water prices again needs to be regulated, as according to the survey, water tanker cost differs from Rs 100/1000L to as steep as Rs 238/1000L, making the crisis a fertile opportunity for quick profiteering by private water tankers.
Rising to the threat, Dy. CM Shivakumar also warned the tanker truck owners that their vehicles would be seized if they were not registered by March 7. The RTOs under the Karnataka transport department have impounded 163 private water tankers in a bid to regulate prices and also aid BWSSB (Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board) in supplying households with water. Reportedly, the state government is also in the process of taking control of all the private water tankers to control the exorbitant prices.
Real estate prices in Bengaluru
It was only last year that a report released by CREDAI and Colliers and Liases Foras pointed out that housing prices in the IT hub of Bengaluru rose by 18% year-on-year in the third quarter. In a few of the areas, like Periphery and Outer East Region housing prices surged 39% all thanks to the high-end luxury projects and completion of KR Puram and Whitefield Metro Lines.
Elaborating Vimal Nadar, senior director and head of research at Colliers, said, "The city is emerging as a new luxury destination, and several established developers are actively exploring to tap into this growing segment and cater to diverse preferences." He pointed out that Whitefield, Sarjapur Road and HSR Layout are likely to be the preferred localities for such high-end luxury development.
Speaking of which, on Tuesday, a housing society in Whitefield introduced a fine of Rs 5,000 for misuse of water and even deployed guards. Ironically, Sarjapur also hit the news for the drinking water crisis. Luxury and high-end development are far-fetched in areas where the most basic of necessity is a privilege.
Water crisis has been democratic in affecting high-end and low-segment residential areas alike. The fact that it'll impact Bengaluru's skyrocketing real estate is a given truth but the only question remains how steep the fall will be and whether that will be equal for all areas in Bengaluru.
The problem & solution, in nutshell
Currently, the city has access to roughly 1,850 million liters per day, which is not nearly enough since it needs an extra 1,680 MLD more to meet its water needs. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has identified as many as 257 areas, staring in the face of potential water scarcity. It is estimated that 10.37 lakh households are connected to BWSSB, with an additional 10,995 borewells supplying around 400 MLD of water.
One poor monsoon is all it can take for the city's daily life to be interrupted. Which is why there is an urgency for the Cauvery Phase 5 project to be made functional as soon as possible. There is hope for the future as the ongoing Cauvery project promises relief from water shortage, but no time frame is available on the project's completion.
The Mekedatu Reservoir Project offers hope too and is touted as the solution to the potable water shortage and power crisis. Supposed to be built near Kanakapura's Ramanagara district, approximately 100 km from Bengaluru, it remains to be seen when the project will actually come to be.
However, Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar has already acknowledged, "The solution for this problem is the proposed Mekedatu Reservoir project."
