When you first shift to a metropolitan city like Bangalore, perhaps for work or
studies, your choice of accommodation would likely be limited to hostels or paying
guest facilities. If you happen to be someone who wishes to settle down in the city, it
would probably be rented apartments that draw your attention, perhaps even gated
communities for the ambitious. Because that’s the dream, right?
Well, let’s think again.
The recent water crisis in Karnataka has affected its capital city the hardest, leaving
schools, hospitals, industries, and even residential areas with extreme shortage of
water. It has been all over the news about how employees have begun to skip work,
tenants have been turning towards shopping malls for their water needs, and that a
few residents are even considering moving out of the city.
During this time, those living in apartment buildings are reportedly being asked to
wash their cars not more than twice a week, use half a bucket of water for bathing,
and use half-flush in their washrooms. This adversity, coupled with the unusually
high temperatures of March, has left all of us distressed and wondering how the
same city that’s now making headlines for pollution, heated temperatures, and most
of all, water scarcity, was once known as the ‘Garden City of India’.
Bangalore has always been appreciated for welcoming urban growth while leaving
its natural vegetation untouched. Most famously, it’s during the months of January
to April when the city is in full bloom, from the blushing pink Tabebuia Rosea
around Jayanagar 4th Block to the bright yellow Tabebuia Argentea in Kasturba
Road. Clearly, this could not have been achieved without a consistent cooperation
between the inhabitants of the city as it developed. Truth be told, it was actually
effective human intervention that contributed to the city’s lush landscape and
greenery.
Bangalore was officially recognized as a city in 1537 CE by Kempé Gowdā, a feudal
ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire. The area and its surroundings hardly had any
natural vegetation back then because it was located at an elevation of about 900
metres (3,000 feet) from the sea level, lacking a major river in its proximity. He
supposedly chose this particular region for defence purposes as the thorny shrubs
and dry deciduous forest protected the settlements. As the city passed through the
hands of several rulers, millions of trees were planted by them along with the
citizens. It was during the rule of Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali in 1758 when numerous
parks and gardens were established, while the arrival of the British in 1799
introduced the pink blooms of Tabebuia Rosea.
Coming to the water supply, having a land that wasn’t connected to any water
bodies naturally made its rulers take responsibility for the same. This began with
Kempé Gowdā himself as he constructed artificial tanks for irrigation, fishing, and
drinking water, following which the lakes were continuously expanded and
maintained by subsequent rulers and localities. Gradually the city began to survive
on an interconnected supply of man-made tanks or lakes that harvested rainwater.
They were essential for drinking purposes as well as for the economy since the
farmers depended on them for irrigation, fishers needed them for the supply of fish,
and pastoralists used them for supporting the grasslands.
As the years passed, Bangalore acquired recognition for its pleasant climate and
charming gardens. Numerous industries began establishing their headquarters here
and finally in 1998 the city grew out of its previous nicknames, such as ‘Garden City’
and ‘City of a Thousand Lakes’, and came to be known as the IT hub of the country.
In a mere decade from 2001 to 2011, the city observed a growth of 47%, while now
in 2023, it stands as the third most populous city and the fifth most populous urban
area in India with a current population of over 14 million. More people equated to
more construction, and while the formerly close-relationship with nature that was
enjoyed by the community began to fade, Bangalore went on to be transformed into
a concrete jungle.
Developmental projects took priority over trees and lakes were soon perceived as
sources of risk rather than benefit. Since urbanisation contributed to water
pollution with sewage and industrial waste being dumped into lakes, they became
sites of diseases such as Malaria or Jaundice, thus needing to be drained and
converted into a ‘better’ area. What used to be the city’s central water body in the
19th century, the Sampangi lake, was reconstructed as the Sri Kanteerava indoor
sports stadium in 1946; And what used to be a city with over a thousand lakes, is
now left with barely eighty.
The disappearance of these lakes along with an increased demand has led to the
overexploitation of ground water with the construction of several borewells along
the city which supply water to the households through tankers. While the
groundwater manages to fulfil about 30% of the demand, the rest relies on the
Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers, and due to the large distances between these water
bodies and the city, transportation becomes subject to political, environmental, and
economic challenges.
The current water crisis is mostly being attributed to insufficient rainfall in the
region with the rivers and borewells drying up which has had the harshest impact
on those residing at the outskirts of the city. For this, along with short term
measures such as prohibiting non-essential use of potable water and taking over
several private water tankers, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board
(BWSSB) is also looking into the Cauvery Stage V project that aims to cater to the
water supply demands of over 110 villages. To accompany that, several
environmental activists have been calling for the restoration of the lost lakes of
Bangalore, while mass citizen protests have led to a growing awareness for
protecting the green cover.
As we head towards April and the arrival of the much awaited monsoon, it can be
rest assured that the water crisis will certainly go through a temporary fix. However,
it must also be acknowledged that we are simultaneously heading towards
increased construction with an abundance of factories, offices, and residential
complexes. So, even if you manage to rent one of those luxury apartments in
Whitefield or land a job with the best IT company in Electronic City, it’ll still be
remembered that this was never the dream.
