At a time when the world is gearing up to celebrate World Environment Day, citizens of Chennai and Bengaluru face the wrath of harming Mother Nature. Chennai residents have begun considering moving cities, in a bid to evade water crisis.
Chennai: With water becoming dearer in Chennai, as all reservoirs are drying up, city residents have decided to shift to other locations where they hope they have better water supply.
Chennai is facing a drought-like situation due to a failed monsoon in 2018 and insufficient rainfall in 2017. As many as 17 districts in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and Kanchipuram, had been declared drought-hit earlier this month.
A news item in the Times of India said that these two districts reported insufficient rains between 19 percent and 59 percent last year. Chennai residents were moving to KK Nagar and other areas in search of better water supply.
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Residents also alleged that water would be supplied at odd hours and they may not have been at home to fill it up.
Four reservoirs supply water to the city and they have all nearly gone empty. The Times of India quoted a resident in Chennai as saying that he had left the city for Kerala to stay at a relative’s place just to evade the water crisis.
Joseph Hoover, environmentalist and wildlife expert, spoke to MyNation and pointed out, “Chennai depends on rains for its water. The lakes have all been encroached, then where will ground water be replenished?”
Bengaluru in Karnataka also faces a situation much like Chennai’s. According to reports, groundwater in Bengaluru has also depleted. So much so, that by 2020, there will be none left.
As the locals of Bengaluru struggle to fight the dry spell, administration in Bengaluru seems to be inefficient in managing the water crisis. Activists suggest that the government must come up with a strong water policy.
Bengaluru, once known for its lush green gardens, is now struggling to provide water to its residents. TV Ramachandra, a professor at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), told a news channel that there was no way one can reach the groundwater resources.
Ramachandra blamed 88 per cent reduction in green cover and 79 per cent reduction in water bodies to be the root cause of the ensuing water crisis.
Joseph Hoover spoke about Bengaluru’s depleting water sources and said, “Rainwater harvesting is supposed to be followed, but no one does so. Western Ghats are already decimated, so 67% of the 65 rivers that originated from here are all dry.”
Hoover questioned what the authorities would do if KRS dries up as well. He also asked if at such a time, we can’t save trees and let go of our dreams of an elevated corridor.
“People would not have a drop of water to drink, do we still need elevated corridors?” questioned Joseph Hoover, adding that if this continued, Bengaluru would be in a major crisis.
He also added that after Cherapunji, it was Agumbe in Karnataka that recorded the highest rainfall. “But today we have to dig up to 800 ft to get water from here, where there was a time when we would get abundant water at 50 feet,” stated Joseph Hoover.
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