During a scorching election summer, the route to voter’s heart seems to be water

Many areas in Bengaluru’s outer zones, which are yet to be serviced by the Cauvery water supply, continue to suffer from a water crisis.

Good rains and lake rejuvenation efforts over the last two years have led to a considerable increase in groundwater levels, helping to revive borewells that had even gone dry. This has not only ensured that there is no pressing water scarcity but seems to have also reduced the city’s overreliance on water tankers this summer.

However, not all areas are as blessed. Especially those in the outer zones, which are yet to be serviced by the Cauvery water supply, continue to suffer from a water crisis.

Despite Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds charge of Bengaluru Development, and MLAs cutting across party lines being keen on Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) completing Cauvery V Stage work before the elections, the project has missed the deadline.

While the well-to-do have their borewells and can afford water tankers, it is the poor people in these 110 villages and slum pockets who are left high and dry. But this being an election season, many politicians seem to think the route to a voter’s heart is water. Many of these pockets are being served by “free water” supplied by politicians cutting across party lines in an attempt to woo them.

“Most apartments have borewells of their own which are giving a good yield of water this summer, so the demand for tanker water has fallen by over 50%. But many local politicians, cutting across party lines, are giving us bulk business to regularly supply water to some of the villages and low-income group pockets for the next two months. These are not pockets which used to be lucrative for us earlier,” Ajay Kumar, a water tanker businessman in Whitefield, said.

However, not all villagers are happy with the arrangement. “This has become the practice every election. They provide us with neither water during summer nor piped drinking water. They think we will be fooled if they provide free water once in five years,” rued Nanjundappa, a resident of one such village where a local politician is providing free tanker water this season in South-East Bengaluru.

“Election pressure” seems to be affecting BWSSB as well. “There is pressure from politicians, cutting across party lines, seeking water supply for a longer time and a larger quantum in their areas. The city is drawing 1,450 MLD of water, which is for the existing scheme. Once Stage V is completed, we will draw another 775 MLD to provide water to 110 villages. However, even though Stage V is not yet complete, we are providing drinking water to 55 of the 110 villages rationing water from the existing scheme of 1450 MLD, which has already strained the available water resource,” said a senior BWSSB official.