BENGALURU, 14 MARCH

From exploring work from home (WFH) option and shifting to a place with better water facilities and taking bath on alternate days -- citizens of India's tech capital are trying every possible thing to deal with an unprecedented water crisis that has gripped the city.

The woes have become a serious issue of concern for Bengalureans , especially in Whitefield, KR Puram, Electronic City, RR Nagar, Kengeri and CV Raman Nagar. Those staying in high rise apartments with water harvesting facilities are also now dependent on tankers for drinking water and many restrictions have been imposed.

Eateries in Bengaluru are mulling over use of disposable cups, glasses and plates to avoid excess use of water. Posters with catchy slogans -- "no rain no water," "water water everywhere but not a drop to drink", "conserve water", among others have been put up at many schools and building associations.

Educational institutions are also feeling the pinch. Recently, a coaching centre in the city asked its students to attend classes online due to an 'emergency' for a week. Similarly, a school on Bannerghatta Road was also closed, asking students to attend classes online just like they did during the covid pandemic.

Meanwhile, some residents of a layout in KR Puram have come up with plans to take bath on alternate days, order food twice a week instead of cooking at home, and restricting water supply to their tenants. People say they are forced to pay more for the tanker water, although the rates have been capped by the government.

With temperature rising, it is difficult to avoid a daily shower but they are left with no option but to take bath on alternative days, said Sujatha, also a resident of KR Puram.

Deficit rains last year is being blamed for people's plight. "We do have facilities for rain water harvesting in our apartment but then we hardly got any rains last year. So, despite having facilities, we could hardly store any water. Now we have been asked by the building association to use water judiciously and one way of doing it was, we have been restricted to water supply at specified intervals," Shobha, a homemaker living in an high end apartment in Kengeri, said.

Lakshmi V, an IT professional living in Singasandra, has been requesting her firm to allow WFH option so that she and her family can temporarily shift to her native place in Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu until the situation becomes better.

To create awareness and educate children about the water crisis, building associations and schools have started putting up posters in their premises explaining them about the urgent measures to conserve water.

The government is taking a slew of measures to address the situation. Civic authorities have decided to fill up the drying lakes with 1,300 million litres per day of treated water to replenish groundwater sources in the city, where about 50 per cent of the borewells have dried up. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board will also install filter borewells and construct water plants using an innovative technology near the restored lake beds to supply water after testing, the civic agency officials said.