THIRSTY CITIES | HOW COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE TO WATER CONSERVATION

WATER STORAGE IN THE MAJOR RESERVOIRS AND RIVER BASINS IN THE COUNTRY HAS DROPPED LESS THAN THE AVERAGE STORAGE RECORDED IN A DECADE FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD.

- PRIYANKA TANWER

An acute water crisis in Bengaluru has been creating headlines for the past few days and recently, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the city was facing a shortage of 500 million liters of water every day, which is about a fifth of the city's daily total demand. However, the scarcity is not just Bengaluru's fight; it is a nationwide crisis that is looming over the Indian urban landscape with restricted water in adjoining areas of Telangana and Maharashtra.

Not just this, there are several major cities which could soon be grappling with water shortages. These cities include Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bathinda, and Delhi. According to the data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water storage in the major reservoirs and river basins in the country has dropped less than the average storage recorded in a decade for the corresponding period.

CWC has recorded a live storage of 56.085 billion cubic meters (BCM), which is 31 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.

Last week, the total live storage was 33 percent.

In the first week of April, it was 35 percent as compared to 67.57 BCM for the corresponding period.

The situation is said to be grave in the southern states, having a combined live storage of 9.31 BCM.

In the western states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, live storage is about 33.9 percent of the capacity in the 49 reservoirs, CWC recorded. In the northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan, live storage was 32.5 percent in 10 reservoirs.

However, even in this worrisome situation, several businesses are involved in maintaining a balance in the environment through their efforts and sustainable practices.

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