Is the urban water system breaking? Premium
The Hindu
Bengaluru water crisis: Indian Institute of Science’s T.V. Ramachandra and water conservationist S. Vishwanath discuss whether the urban water system is breaking?
Bengaluru, often celebrated for being a ‘garden city’, the ‘IT capital’ of the country, and its pleasant weather, has been making headlines this year for facing a severe water crisis following the drought of 2023. The water crisis is also likely to hit other urban centres and rural areas. According to a recent weekly bulletin by the Central Water Commission, even as peak summer is around the corner, most of the major reservoirs in the southern States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are filled to only 25% of their capacity or less. Is the urban water system breaking? T.V. Ramachandra and S. Vishwanath discuss the question in a conversation moderated by K.C. Deepika. Edited excerpts:
T.V. Ramachandra is the Coordinator of the Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Science, Indian Institute of Science; S. Vishwanath is a water conservationist