Bengaluru may have to be evacuated in a decade if water crisis persists

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Around 450 km away, residents of Gadar village in Raichur, a backward district in north Karnataka, are facing a similar situation. Devendrappa, a 73-year-old farmer, got water at 30 feet below the ground when he first drilled a borewell in his field in the late 1980s. Recently, he had to dig to till 1,020 feet. He used to grow groundnut on 9 acres five years ago, but that has come down to 5 acres. "In another five years, I may not grow anything at all," says a dejected Devendrappa. This is the story across Karnataka. Groundwater, a major resource in times of crisis, is dwindling. Increase in the number of borewells and the decline of groundwater levels have resulted in borewells sinking to the depths of 1,000 feet in several areas.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Bengaluru-may-have-to-be-evacuated-in-a-decade-if-water-crisis-persists/articleshow/50348148.cms

What is the next step??

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4 Comments

  1. The most obvious and immediate solution is to treat sullage and sewage on a localized basis, and increase the number of lakes and water bodies. Delhi has been able to produce drinking water from sewage.
    The administration needs to sit down with experts, not those with Ph.D.'s but those who have done practical conservation and recycling work.
    Don't award contracts to political cronies, otherwise it will be like the Ganges purification project.
    Bangalore receives a fair amount of rainfall, harvest that water and conserve it.

  2. stormwater solutions. birth control :) modern agricultural practices?
    too much garbage not properly handled. the lakes are contaminated. the rivers are contaminated. even with heavy metals but the government officials say that its not a problem as farmers used all that contaminated water so that its kept from the lake. the poor children!!
    political will is needed to capture, treat the flood waters and use that to recharge the ground. there was just severe flooding. all that water was just wasted.
    in ancient times, people built artificial lakes. you can use these lakes now to treat the water and recharge the ground.
    the solutions are there. but the political will is not.
    nai saal mubarak!



  3. Last year in the month of April I had an informal meeting, at Bengaluru, with Israeli environmental engineer and Research Associate from University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland. They are working in Karnataka and similar issues were discussed.

  4. Your question - Is this true.

    It is substntially true. It is on record of ground water authorities of state and central. My personal experience about Sarjapur of Bengaluru is facing acute shortage where my son is living. So, society reuse the water for flusing which is not properly treated. It stinks and is turbid gray color. It pinches me more after staying and studying water management in Isreal, recently. I think that we have to wait till crisis/ cries reach to inflection point. We are not replenishing ground water. It is only withdrawl and no deposit, especially deep aquifers.

    2 Comment replies

    1. Please divide government in two parts. One is scientist and they know their job. But to lay down policy is with politicians and that was missing for long time. Vote bank politics requirement is show results in five years which scientists cannot do. Now environment ministry is getting stricter. We been addressing this issue since decades. Masses (public) and politicians will act only when situation becomes chaotic. In Maharashtra, farmer's suicide is big issue. However, some NGO are working with local participation. In few villages NGO with local public awareness and participation has brought good results. How should we expect participation of urban people, is a debate for Bengaluru or other metros.Remember - deeper aquifers are not being recharged.