The water crisis in Bengaluru has become so severe that the residents are reportedly thronging to nearby malls to use washrooms.
A Reddit user claiming to be staying in a flat in Prestige Falcon City has alleged that people living in posh gated colonies are bathing in gyms, and relieving themselves in malls due to a lack of round-the-clock water supply, and few have even vacated their houses.
“Most of the tenants have vacated while others have moved to temporary accommodation. 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,” read the resident's post.
However, soon after the Reddit post went viral, the Prestige Falcon City authorities rejected the claim in a statement.
“The association president has refuted the assertions made about residents from apartments lining up to utilise the washrooms at Forum South Bangalore, dismissing them as entirely unfounded and unsupported. He emphasised that such statements lack credibility and fail to accurately depict the true circumstances of the situation,” reads the statement that has been issued by Prestige Falcon City, according to India Today.
According to reports, the bustling metropolitan city, which houses approximately 1.3 crore population, faces a shortfall of over 1,500 MLD (Million Liters Per Day) in its daily water needs, which ranges between 2,600-2,800 MLD.
The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which supplies drinking water to the tech hub, states that while the situation is manageable in central areas, it's very serious in the city's outskirts.
The current water crisis was necessitated due to a range of interlinking factors that include scarcity of rain, and massive drop in water levels in the Cauvery River.
To deal with the water shortage, the state government plans to use milk tankers from the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to deliver water to Bengaluru. They will also take control of private borewells in and around the city.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that out of 136 taluks in the state, 123 taluks have been declared drought hit and 109 are severely affected. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on March 5 promised that the government would ensure adequate water supply to Bengaluru at any cost.
Also read | Karnataka cracks down on water wastage amid crisis, imposes ₹5,000 fine