Water | Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Personal hygiene is critical to fighting corona, but what if we run out of water?

March 31, 2020 Manasi Paresh Kumar

Handwashing and personal hygiene are critical to protecting ourselves from coronavirus. But as summer approaches, Bengaluru faces the threat of water scarcity again. How can authorities and citizens handle this problem?

With no packaged drinking water, residents forced to drink borewell water

March 28, 2020 Manoj Sharma

While Cauvery water is usually used as drinking water in homes that have water purifiers, about 2/3 of the city has no access to such piped water. They depend on packaged drinking water cans for drinking water needs, but these cans have been scarcely available since the lockdown.

How a dysfunctional pollution watchdog is affecting Bengaluru’s water scene

March 22, 2020 Nagesh Aras

That Bengaluru gets into a regular water crisis, is something we all know. But whose job is it to protect our water resources? It’s our state pollution control board. And here’s why KSPCB is incapable of bailing us out.

Water tanker supply disrupted in Whitefield, Bellandur; tanker operators on strike

March 16, 2020 Manoj Sharma

With summer approaching, and with COVID risks, there is more demand for water. Residents are worried tanker water shortage can create havoc.

“Fining apartment owners for faulty sewage treatment plants is unjust”

March 10, 2020 Ananth S Kodavasal

As per environmental jurisprudence, the polluter has to pay. But apartment STPs (sewage treatment plants) are usually set up and approved by five different players. So who’s the real polluter when an STP is defective?

Faulty sewage treatment plant in your apartment? Pollution Control Board may be liable, not you

March 9, 2020 Nagesh Aras

KSPCB has been asking apartments in the city to pay up lakhs as compensation for defective sewage treatment plants. But the Board itself is responsible for approving many plants that had design and fabrication issues.

Why sewage treatment plants in apartments are messed up, and how this can change

March 6, 2020 Nagesh Aras

Apartment STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) are set up after getting government approvals, yet they malfunction soon and residents keep spending lakhs to correct defects. This scenario can change with some reforms in the STP approval process.

Bellandur-Varthur lake rejuvenation is causing irreversible damage, need course correction, say environmentalists

February 12, 2020 News Desk

Environmentalists, in an open letter to the government, pointed out that draining and desilting the toxic Bellandur and Varthur lakes would have severe impacts. They urge the government to hold an Environment Impact Assessment beforehand

BWSSB’s workforce woefully inadequate, says Chairman Tushar Girinath

November 13, 2019 Sneha Visakha

Inadequate workforce and finances are affecting BWSSB’s services, according to the Board’s Chairman Tushar Girinath. Girinath and other experts discussed solutions to Bengaluru’s water crisis at a recent panel discussion

Averting Day Zero: How Bengaluru should manage its water

October 23, 2019 Sneha Visakha

A slew of regulations are needed to arrest Bengaluru’s worsening water scarcity. These include change in water pricing, integrated management of various water resources, and so on

Panel to explore solutions to Bengaluru’s water crisis: Who gets how much and at what cost?

October 22, 2019 News Desk

How can every Bengalurean be provided with enough water for their needs, at a price they can afford? Attend a panel discussion on October 24th, where BWSSB Chairman and domain experts explore solutions

Perforations on the borewell casing pipe in the attachments so that water starts flowing into these holes.

Rs 3 lakh savings per year, and borewells that never dry: What a Bengaluru apartment gained from RWH

September 23, 2019 Samir Kumar Rakshit

In water-starved Chikkabellandur, a small apartment community uses rainwater harvesting (RWH) to meet much of their needs. They use some of the rainwater directly, and the rest to recharge their borewells

Will this year’s rains ease Bengaluru out of water scarcity?

August 20, 2019 Vaidya R

Till July end, Karnataka faced severe rainfall deficit, and water levels in Cauvery reservoirs were plummeting. But in just two weeks, the situation has turned around completely. What does this mean for Bengaluru’s water crisis?

Thirsty city tantrums: How Bengaluru’s thirst for water is felt 400 km away

August 9, 2019 Kedar Koushik

To satiate Bengaluru’s unending thirst, water has been diverted from many rivers, including those from the Western Ghats. But these projects are starving local populations of water, and destroying ecosystems

Bengaluru’s real estate market up last year; but can apartment construction ban help the water situation?

July 18, 2019 Kedar Koushik

Residential projects are increasing in Bengaluru again, after a slump. Would an apartment construction ban really help the city’s water situation now? How would it affect the economy?

Beer vs water: Bengaluru’s microbreweries in a time of water shortage

July 17, 2019 Grace Madigan

It takes seven litres of water to brew just a litre of beer! But as the city struggles with a water crisis, Bengaluru’s craft microbreweries are finding ways to cut down their water use

Towards water security: How to set up a greywater treatment system

June 19, 2019 News Desk

Greywater – that is, wastewater from bathrooms, washing machines etc – can be treated and reused for non-potable purposes. A greywater treatment system can meet about 40 percent of your household’s water requirement. Here’s how to set up the system

Towards water security: How to dig a recharge well

April 27, 2019 News Desk

Frustrated with water shortage, apartment communities in Bellandur are digging recharge wells in their own premises, to improve groundwater levels and be water-secure. Here is a detailed guide on how you too can build a recharge well around your home or layout

Source water locally, ban borewells, to prevent scarcity

April 23, 2019 Sandeep Anirudhan

The reason for Bengaluru’s water scarcity is our disconnect with the source of water. To reverse this, each ward should be made to generate water locally, and Cauvery water be taxed heavily, opines the author

Resident groups, experts and well-diggers discuss solutions to deal with water crisis

March 28, 2019 Ekta Sawant

In a water workshop this week, apartment communities talked about measures they had taken to deal with water scarcity. Water metering and reuse, limiting consumption, holding awareness campaigns, rejuvenating lakes were among the initiatives discussed.