Pre-monsoon puts an end to water crisis

Bengaluru: All areas in the city received normal water supply on Wednesday and Thursday after an acute crisis that lasted for over two weeks. The recent rains have brought relief, bringing the usage of water down by 10-20 %.

“We can safely assume that water crisis for the city is over for this season. The situation should be between normal and good from here on," said BWSSB official, saying that the pre monsoon showers have greatly eased up the situation.

“Summer gives rise to a demand for water. With the recent rains, the usage has come down. We are drawing and supplying the usual quantity but we can see a dip in the demand after the rains,”said a BWSSB official.

They have taken steps to maintain an equitable supply in various areas. Eastern and northern parts of the city suffered the most during the recent crisis, with some of the areas receiving only one hour of water supply in a week. The pre monsoon showers have also raised water levels in the Hemavathi river, easing the city’s situation further.

After facing an acute shortage in the Krishna Raja Sagar Reservoir (KRS), the Chief Minister had instructed the Irrigation Department to release 1 TMC of water from Hemavathi reservoir to KRS. This water raised the water level in Krishna Raja Sagar reservoir and brought immediate relief to Bengaluru, Mysore and some towns in the area.