Bengaluru Water Woes: Soaring Prices, Struggling Residents: Can Govt Regulate Water Tankers?

Bengaluru is witnessing an unprecedented water crisis and the rise of water tankers' prices is not helping the cause.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF), the price of 12,000 liters of water has reportedly reached an unprecedented Rs 2,850, a significant increase from the previous price of Rs 1,500.

As there is no regulatory mechanism governing the pricing of water tankers in place, prices have gone unpredictably high. In the severely affected areas such as Whitefield and Varthur, prices have surged to as high as Rs 2,500 for a 12,000-liter load.

Ajay Gowda, a tanker dealer in South East Bengaluru, said that even a tractor carrying 4,000 liters fetches prices ranging from Rs 700 to 1,000, while a 6,000-liter tanker load costs between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500.

"We are now going as far as 25 km away from the city to get water. The area of commercial exploitation of water is shifting further away from the city. Every trip the tanker travels over 50 km. While we were able to fill a 12,000 litres tanker in under half an hour earlier, it now takes more than 3 hours as the water levels have gone down and become thin. This limits the extent to which we can extract water in a day," The Hindu quoted Praveen Reddy, a water tanker businessman in Doddanekkundi, as saying.

Apartment complexes are bearing the brunt of the water crisis due to their heavy reliance on water tankers. While some apartments meet their water needs with Cauvery water from the BWSSB and borewells, those situated on the outskirts rely solely on borewells. When borewells run dry, tankers become the only viable solution. The availability of water tankers is also a pressing concern for residents of apartment complexes.

Vishnu Gattupalli, General Secretary of BAF, says, "Now, the tanker suppliers also do not accept the request to supply. They prefer to sell water to regular apartment complexes, which purchase it from them throughout the year. Many suppliers now ask us to get into a long-term contract to supply tankers," (sic.)

Can the price be regulated?

Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar claimed recently that 25 per cent of the city's needs have been met by water tankers and said the Karnataka government is considering a regulatory mechanism to cap the prices of water tankers.

The BBMP has also said that it has no plans for now to fix the tanker prices.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath told Bangalore Mirror: "There are three regulatory measures at our disposal, including government intervention if the situation worsens. While the possibility of taking control of all water tankers exists for the future, it is not currently under consideration. Regarding BBMP trade licenses, verification ensures compliance, including confirmation of legal water sources, preventing the unauthorised use of domestic borewells for commercial purposes. The regulation of borewells falls under the jurisdiction of the Karnataka Groundwater Authority, which approves water sources. While we have the authority to regulate tanker water supply in the city, we are refraining from doing so at present, as the current demand in February requires only 200 to 300 tankers, well below the total available."

However, the water tanker industry is expected to go on strike if the government tries to put a cap on the price.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ram Prasath Manohar V, Chairman of BWSSB, claimed that the board is currently operating 60 tankers of its own and has rented an additional 60 tankers to mitigate water shortages in key areas supplied with Cauvery water

"Though we cannot fill up their sumps, we will ensure our water tankers provide water to meet their basic needs," he added.

He pointed out that BWSSB tankers primarily cater to core areas with Cauvery water supply, while residents in the 110 villages are advised to reach out to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for assistance.