Bengaluru water crisis: 'Borewell at my house has dried up too,' says DK Shivakumar
The Deputy CM, however, said that the government is doing its best to mitigate the crisis including identifying water sources and getting tankers to Bengaluru from neighbouring towns
With Karnataka grappling with an acute shortage of water, Deputy State Minister DK Shivakumar said that there is no water in as many as 3,000 borewells in Bengaluru city including his own house.
“All the borewells are dry, including the one at my house,” he told reporters on Tuesday (March 5).
Shivakumar, however, assured residents that the government is taking the crisis very seriously and working round the clock to identify possible water sources.
“I am looking into this very, very seriously. I have had a meeting with all the officials. We are taking over all the tanks and are identifying the points where all water is available. Two hundred and seventeen tunnels have been tried. More than 3,000 borewells have dried up in Bangalore. Whatever water is coming from the Cauvery is coming…,” he was quoted as saying by the media.
The deputy chief minister also accused the Centre of not doing its bit in helping the state overcome the crisis.
“We are facing a very difficult situation. That is why we walked for water, for the Mekedatu project. I hope the central government will at least come to our rescue now to see the Mekedatu problem is solved,” he said.
Due to the shortage, residents in several areas are sourcing water from private tankers at highly overpriced rates.
Speaking about the issue, Shivakumar said the government has asked the tankers to register with authorities to enforce standard rates.
“Some of the tankers are supplying water for ₹600 while some others are charging up to ₹3,000. In order to standardise the pricing, we have asked all the water tankers to register with the authorities. Prices will be fixed based on the distance travelled by the tankers,” he said.
He said officials, for now, have been asked to use water sources within the 15 km periphery of cities to supply water to urban areas. That apart, arrangements have been made to get water to Bengaluru from Ramnagara, Hosakote, Channapatna, Magadi and other towns through tankers.
