Modern apartments are quite parched on Bannerghatta Road in Bangalore

There are tall apartment blocks springing up ever so frequently on either side of the Bannerghatta Road from Kalena Agrahara, Gottigere. But even though residents of the area live in structures that seem equipped with all modern amenities, there is one basic necessity to which they have only limited access — pure water.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) does not supply water to all these areas. Residents are forced to resort to either borewells or the Gottigere lake to meet their need of water. While some blocks have their own water treatment plant, concerns have been raised about the poor quality of water that is pumped out of borewells.

“Our builder warned us not to dig a borewell as the underground water is contaminated with chemicals. We have, instead, got a pipeline from the lake, and we use that water, after purification, for drinking,” said Lakshmamma, resident of Gottigere. Asked whether residents have the permission of the Lake Development Authority to draw water from it, Lakshmamma said that she was not aware that such permission was necessary.

“The water from the borewell is of poor quality. White dresses turn yellow after they are washed with underground water here, and there is no question of drinking that water without first purifying it. The BBMP can go ahead and add borewells, but with the ground water plunging to lower and lower depths, the question is how much longer we will have even that, and whether there will be enough for the future,” said Kavitha R, another resident of Gottigere.

“We have three borewells in our apartment block, and we continuously test the quality of the water. The level of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water has increased from 500 to about 1,000 in just the 15 months that we have been here. There are many small factories here. As the population rises and the water table goes deeper, we wonder whether there will be enough water in a few years,” Shashikanth, president of Krystal Beryl Apartment Residents’ Association, said.

Apartment blocks that have a regular supply of water from the BWSSB, however, do not have to face any water woes. Purva Panaroma and Ajmera Greens on Bannerghatta Road, for instance, get BWSSB water. “Our buildings fall within the Begur ward, and we get BWSSB-supplied water from the Kothnur tank. We’ve had no problems with either the quality or quantity of water supplied,” said Krishna Murthy, president, Purva Panaroma Apartment Residents’ Association.

Nabonagar, situated a few kilometres from the Meenakshi temple on Bannerghatta Road, does not have any water complaints.
Given the experiences with water, rainwater harvesting has become a popular option with residents here. “We have dug a huge pit for recharging water, and are taking up rainwater harvesting in a big way,” said Shashikanth, hoping that at least the levels at which the water table currently stood could be maintained.