Water crisis in Bangalore

Water crisis in Bangalore

GS-1: Urban Infrastructure and Development

(UPSC/State PSC)

Important for Prelims:

Silicon Valley, Water Crisis, Wastewater Management, NITI Aayog Report, 'Composite Water Management Index' (2018), Amrit Sarovar Mission, Catch the Rain Campaign, 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana - Watershed Development Component (PMKSY-WDC)', Atal Groundwater Scheme (ABHY), Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), Namami Gange Initiative, National Program for Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM).

Important for Mains:

Causes of water crisis in Bengaluru, Water crisis in India, Solutions to water crisis, Government initiatives to deal with water crisis in India, Way forward, Conclusion.

16/03/2024

Context:

Today, the metropolis of Bangalore, which is called the 'Silicon Valley' of India, is facing a severe water crisis.

This water crisis in Bangalore is a consequence of not heeding the warnings in time. In view of the severe water crisis in the South African city of Cape Town in the year 2018, India's Bengaluru was also named among the 15 cities of the world which were said to be at risk of 'zero water' level crisis.

The deepening water crisis in Bengaluru is prompting the entire India to explore various alternative solutions to water conservation.

Causes of water crisis in Bangalore:

  • Rainfall deficit: Bengaluru experienced rainfall deficit in 2023, leading to a decline in groundwater levels, especially affecting the city's periphery.
  • Increasing demand for water: Bengaluru's demand for freshwater exceeds the supply available from sources such as the Kaveri river and groundwater.
  • Degradation of water bodies: Historically, Bengaluru depended on a network of lakes and tanks for water supply. However, due to rapid urbanization these water bodies have been encroached upon and have started drying up.
  • Due to sewage dumping, lakes have also become polluted, further reducing their capacity to harvest rain water.
  • Lack of waste water management: Only a fraction of the city's waste water is treated and reused externally. Most of it flows downstream into lakes or rivers.
  • Depletion of the Arkavathy Reservoir: The Arkavathy Reservoir, once an important water source, has been severely depleted and polluted due to uncontrolled development, encroachment, excessive borewell use and eucalyptus cultivation.

Water crisis in India:

  • India has 18 percent of the world's population, but only 4 percent of its water resources, making it one of the most water stressed countries in the world.
  • NITI Aayog's report, 'Composite Water Management Index' (2018) states that India is facing its 'worst' water crisis in history, in which more than 600 million people are facing severe water shortage.

How to solve water Crisis:

  • Provide incentives or subsidies to encourage individuals and businesses to adopt rainwater harvesting practices.
  • Enforce strict rules to prevent encroachment and pollution of lakes, ponds and rivers.
  • Invest in restoration of degraded water bodies, including desilting, dredging and water quality improvement measures.
  • Create buffer zones and green spaces around water bodies to prevent further encroachment and protect their ecological integrity.
  • Implementation of decentralized waste water treatment systems and reuse treated waste water for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, industrial processes and groundwater recharge.

Government initiatives to tackle water crisis in India:

  • Launch of 'Amrit Sarovar Mission' on April 24, 2022 for construction of at least 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district of India to overcome water crisis in rural areas; The mission aims to construct 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by August 15, 2023.
  • Launch of 'Catch the Rain Campaign' in 2021 to run a public awareness campaign with people's cooperation for water conservation.
  • Assistance in creation of water harvesting and conservation works is provided by the Central Government through 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana - Watershed Development Component (PMKSY-WDC)'.
  • Atal Ground Water Yojana (ABHY) – This big scheme on ground water management was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 25 December 2019. In this scheme of Rs 6000 crore, 50 percent of the funds will be invested by the World Bank and 50 percent by the Government of India. The objective of this scheme is to provide better groundwater management in the areas suffering from groundwater shortage in 7 selected states of the country. These states include Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
  • The Government of India launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019 to improve water availability, including groundwater status, in water stressed blocks of 256 districts of India.
  • 'Namami Gange Initiative' has been launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti for the conservation of rivers of Ganga basin and 'National River Conservation Plan (NRCP)' has been launched for the conservation of other rivers.
  • 'National Water Awards' launched in 2018 by Ministry of Jal Shakti to recognize and encourage the efforts made by States, Districts, individuals, institutions, organizations etc. to achieve the vision of Government of 'Water Prosperous India'
  • Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched in 2019 with the aim of providing a functional tap connection within the premises of every rural household in India by 2024.
  • Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) launched National Aquifer Mapping and Management program (NAQUIM) in 2012 as a part of 'Groundwater Management and Regulation' scheme.
  • The objective of which was to demarcate and identify the aquifer and develop plans for sustainable groundwater management in the country.

Way forward:

  • Public awareness campaigns should be conducted: People should be educated about water conservation and sanitation practices.
  • Technological solutions should be explored: Exploration of desalination, waste water treatment and rain water harvesting technologies can provide new water sources.
  • Introduce a circular water economy: maximizing the utility of each liter of water and reducing the city's dependence on external sources.

Conclusion:

  • Today ‘water conservation’ is a matter of global concern. At present India's water requirement is estimated to be about 1,100 billion cubic meters per year. To meet this high need, the Government of India is also fully committed to improving the condition of water bodies and better treatment systems through various means and measures.

Source: The Hindu

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Mains Question:

Discuss the way forward to solve the causes of water crisis in Bengaluru.

Critically analyze government initiatives to tackle water crisis in India.