To combat water scarcity and restore groundwater levels, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has constructed 986 percolation/recharge wells across the city within a span of one month. This initiative comes in anticipation of the upcoming monsoon season, aiming to harness rainwater effectively for sustainable water management, according to the Board.
BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar emphasized the critical need for rainwater harvesting to address the root cause of water scarcity in Bengaluru. “While the city receives its share of Cauvery water, the depletion of groundwater due to inadequate recharge mechanisms has been a major contributing factor to the water crisis,” he said.
Mr. Manohar further said, “The water scarcity faced by Bengaluru city is not due to lack of Cauvery water. There was a shortage of water because the borewells that were supplying water to millions of people who depended on groundwater dried up. In many buildings where rainwater harvesting has been implemented, the groundwater recharge is not being done properly due to the lack of rainwater harvesting. Due to non-recharge, the groundwater level is decreasing day by day. In order to prevent this, the aim of BWSSB is to create awareness that people should implement Rain Water Harvesting.”
Additionally, the BWSSB has received 74 applications for community rainwater harvesting projects, indicating a growing interest among citizens in contributing to groundwater recharge and lake rejuvenation efforts.
“The initiative of Community Rain Harvesting, which has been started with the aim of increasing the groundwater and filling the lakes with rainwater, has also elicited a lot of interest in Bengaluru by the people and this initiative will be launched soon,” Mr. Manohar said.
