“We Can’t Even Flush”: Bengaluru Residents Resort To Desperate Measures

With a severe water crisis gripping Bengaluru, residents, schools, offices, and apartment complexes are facing acute shortages. The situation has reached critical levels, as highlighted by a Reddit post shedding light on the challenges encountered by residents of a housing society.

“It has been more than a month since we received regular round-the-clock supply of water in our flat in Prestige Falcon City. Now the situation is beyond the limits of what can be called inhabitable. No water during the daytime, when we do get it during the night, it’s just muddy water unfit for bathing,” the post read.

“You get to smell the stink of unflushed human excreta in toilet bowls from far away. It’s not uncommon to see a line of residents going to the nearby Forum Mall to do their business,” it added.

The residents’ association recommended using wet wipes and disposable utensils in light of the crisis, citing the challenges of traditional washing methods. Financial pressure mounts as residents, who are already dealing with housing loans, struggle with unacceptable living conditions. The message cautioned prospective buyers against purchasing apartments that solely rely on tanker water and encouraged them to explore rented accommodations for a higher standard of living.

“Some people are going to gyms along with a pair of clothes and a towel to bathe and come back. It’s too much frustration and pain to bear when you are paying EMI for a housing loan of over Rs 1. An honest piece of advice: Never buy a flat in Bangalore that is dependent on tanker water forever. It’s better to live in a rented home with peace of mind than to suffer like this,” it stated.

Bengaluru faces a water crisis exacerbated by depleting groundwater levels and a drought in the Cauvery basin. As a result, tanker costs have surged, prompting government intervention.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced the state’s control over all water tanker distribution from borewells, aiming to alleviate water scarcity, particularly in villages surrounding BBMP zones, and combat water trafficking.