How Bengaluru overcame its acute water crisis

Tech city Bengaluru made headlines repeatedly in March for all the wrong reasons — not a day went by when the city did not face a water crisis. However, that acute crisis pushed the city to find a remarkable solution to its growing scarcity — recycled water.

Scripting a new chapter in water conservation in India, Bengaluru is now getting ready to be water-sufficient by 2050.

Global example

The key face behind the initiative is Ram Prasad Manohar, chairperson of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). His efforts to recycle water during the crisis have attracted even the attention of the United Nations Climate Change Convention, with the model now being replicated in many other developing nations to address their water crises.

Not only did the recycled water help meet the city’s immediate crisis, the BWSSB also used the treated wastewater to recharge parched water bodies. This replenished dry lakes and further improved the groundwater table and increased availability for residents.

Manohar delivered a lecture at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Aqua South Summit in Chennai recently.

Water for non-potable purposes

According to a report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), 80 per cent of wastewater generated by urban India can be treated and reused. But in reality, the reuse of treated wastewater is minimal.

The project that was born out of the severe water crisis that struck Bengaluru in March has so far only produced water for non-potable purposes, such as irrigation and recharging lakes and wetlands. Recycled water is being supplied to industries and IT parks for cleaning purposes.

The BWSSB is currently supplying 65 MLD (million litres per day) of treated water to IT firms for cleaning and cooling centralised air conditioners, an official told The Federal. The water quality is frequently tested, and zero-bacteria water quality is assured before supply.

Besides, 23 of the 181 lakes in Bengaluru are now regularly filled with recycled water, and initiatives are in the pipeline to supply treated water to 40 other lakes shortly.

Also read: Karnataka: Land of Cauvery has little water to use and less to store

The magic pill

Ram Prasad Manohar, who took charge of BWSSB during the crisis, says treated wastewater is the magic pill that helped the city overcome a difficult period. He told The Federal that 101 lakes in the city can be recharged with recycled water.

“We studied the feasibility with the help of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and identified how the treated water can recharge the water bodies and, as an impact, water levels in the nearby borewells would also improve in the course of time. Currently, we are recycling 1450 MLD, which is equal to 80 per cent of potable water we supply to residents,” he said.

Apart from government-owned sewage treatment plants, residents are also being encouraged to set up treatment plants in apartment complexes.

Not many would forget the terrible water crisis Bengaluru faced last summer, Manohar told The Federal. “We were almost facing a Day Zero (a term used to describe the day when a city’s water supply is totally depleted so that the municipality had to shut off water supply). Creating new sources of water was not an option. But when we use the available water efficiently, it can help us save enough for non-potable uses,” he explained.

“It is now mandatory for new apartment complexes with over 120 flats to establish sewage treatment plants and reuse water for flushing toilets, cleaning vehicles, and gardening. We could save several lakhs of litres of water like this,” he added.

Authorities have since prohibited the use of drinking water for vehicle cleaning, gardening, fountains, and construction under sections 33 and 34 of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1964. Malls and theatres are permitted to use drinking water only for drinking. For a first-time offence, a penalty of Rs 5,000 applies; for repeated offences, there is an additional penalty of Rs 500 per day.

The BWSSB has also launched a dedicated call centre for queries related to water issues and urged citizens to dial 1916 to report violations. Within a month of the prohibition being clamped, over 400 people were fined around Rs 20 lakh for violations. This helped people become more conscious and use water efficiently.

Explaining the other simple and efficient water-saving technique, Manohar said the fixing of aerators did wonders for the city during the crisis.

“We made it mandatory for all commercial buildings and government office complexes to fix aerators on all taps. An aerator costs only Rs 30 but helps reduce the forceful outflow of water from taps. This way, we can regulate the use of fresh water, and efficient usage helps save several litres of water,” he said.

“Water sharing is the cause for big conflicts among several states in India. Sharing Cauvery water becomes a major issue every year for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. But when I could see the results on the ground, efficient usage can solve the rising demand for water since we cannot create it in a lab,” Manohar added.

Watch: Mesquite trees, water crisis, and empty villages in Ramanathapuram

Water crisis affects women, poor

Manohar is no stranger to dealing with water crises. Born and raised in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district, he witnessed severe water crisis in childhood.

“I know how water crisis drains women and deeply affects the poor. I could easily relate to the Bengaluru water crisis and worked on plans with my personal experience. I sought help from scientists and experts too. I used technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence sensors to track the effective usage of water,” he told The Federal.

It was not an easy task for Manohar to take the message of recycled water to the masses. There were many criticisms, hesitations and inhibitions. But he faced them with data from IISc.

And such regions can benefit from recycled water, he added. In fact, another water-stressed region in Karnataka that has been using recycled water is Kolar. Rao said recycled water has largely been effective in solving its crisis.

“Initially, the recycling project in Kolar faced criticisms, with questions arising about groundwater quality and public health concerns. But during an assessment, we found that groundwater quality has actually improved in Kolar. There has been an increase in irrigated land by nearly 31 per cent, from 158,000 hectares to 207,000 hectares, due to the availability of water. Farmers are now able to grow their crops without the stress of water scarcity,” he told The Federal.