For a city completely dependent on one river as its source of water, every day should be a learning in understanding how to manage this most important resource. While summer has just begun and a scorching three months or longer lies ahead, what has Bengaluru learnt from the drought?
A few positives
A robust weather tracking system including the tracking of water levels in reservoirs on a daily basis thanks to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (www.ksndmc.org). This unique institution in Karnataka, and in no other State, has been at the forefront of data tracking including tracking groundwater levels, soil aridity and levels of water in minor tanks.
A committed group of citizens struggling to revive and preserve lakes of the city taking the help of the media and the judiciary and a few government officers.
A policy on rainwater harvesting and on groundwater management with rules and regulations in place though much ignored then applied.
...And negatives
The complete absence of the State and governance to manage the reservoirs on the Cauvery in a coherent fashion and communicate the status to the public at large. For example, there is still enough waters in the K.R.S dam and Kabini to provide the 1,400 million litres per day for the city of Bengaluru till the end of June yet a panic-like situation is being created rather unnecessarily.
The complete absence of the State to put together a coherent plan to save and revive our lakes. Even the waters of Thippagondanahalli, a major source of drinking water to the city, is so contaminated from pollutants in the catchments that its waters are unfit to drink.
The inability to manage groundwater sustainably even though the Groundwater Authority is in place with all laws. Instead fresh borewells are being drilled in a futile attempt to supplement the water needs of the city when actually all attempts should be made to recharge and protect the aquifers.
The inability to manage the catchments of the rivers that feed the city. It is in the forests of Kodagu, Hassan, Chamarajnagar, Mysore and even Wayanad that forests need to be protected to ensure that springs, streams and rivers flow. Instead we have a situation when even the forests are running out of water and forest fires are rampant.
Treating waste-water
The inability to put waste-water to productive use by treating and recycling it to standards. While sporadic cases are available such as the treatment plant in Cubbon Park , quick action could have resulted in much more of treated wastewater coming back to use and replacing fresh water. Again laws are in place but with very little assistance to citizens or compliance by institutions responsible.
There is an old adage that wise people learn from others’ mistakes and fools not even from their own. A set of institutions need to come together to roll out a plan and action to involve all citizens of Bengaluru to overcome this crisis and prevent such events occurring at all in the future.
That would be water wisdom.
zenrainman@gmail.com
