Water mafia makes hay as summer sets in

With the early onset of summer in the city, some localities are already facing a water shortage, which is leaving them at the mercy of the water tanker mafia. Not only is it dictating terms to helpless consumers, but also over exploiting lakes without the permission of the authorities to ferry water to them while the BWSS does little to come to the people’s rescue, Aksheev Thakur reports.

Since the onset of March, which has brought with it an earlier than usual summer, the water mafia in the city has been dictating terms, even going to the extent of distributing water to the highest bidder in some areas like the Mahadevapura zone.

Complains a resident of Bellandur, which is already in the throes of a water crisis,   “If we don’t strike a deal with the water tanker owners to take a specific number of tankers they refuse to supply us water. As the Cauvery water supply is intermittent and we are dependent on them, we are forced to give in. The tanker units have distributed the various localities among them and so even if we ask for a water tanker from a neighbouring area, we are refused.”

Water expert and executive director of Greenpeace India, Kshitij Urs observes that although water regularly becomes an issue this time of the year, the government does nothing to come to the people’s rescue. “There is clear lack of action by the local government. Although under schedule 12 of the Constitution, it has to provide water to the people, it has no plans at all,” he regrets.

Activists note that the BWSSB, which pumps 1,400 MLD of Cauvery water to the city every day,  tries to make up for any shortfall through supply from its own tankers, it doesn’t seem to be  meeting the people’s requirements. “Although the BWSSB says it supplies water through 68 tankers, this is not adequate. Why does it have to concentrate on Cauvery water alone when it  has 7,000 borewells too?” asks Dr Sharachchandra Lele, a research scholar with the ATREE.

Co-founder of Friends of Lakes, Ram Prasad suggests the BWSSB should get serious about managing the city’s water supply  rather than merely distributing it. “Also we need a more robust ground water authority (to prevent its over exploitation) ,” he underlines.

Mr Urs believes that reining in the water mafia is also essential to manage the growing water crisis in the city. “When  telecom prices can be regulated,  why not water?”  he demands.