No pool parties, water balloons on Holi, B'luru turns cautious amid water crisis

No pool parties please and no throwing of water and water balloons this Holi if you are a resident of Bengaluru.

- NITIN KUMAR

The festival of Holi has become a casualty of the water crisis that has engulfed the city with water officials exhorting residents not to waste water.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board wants to conserve every drop of the water of the Cauvery River and borewells. A weak monsoon last year depleted groundwater levels, requiring new borewells to be dug deeper to find water.

This has led to a daily shortfall of 200 million litres in water supply. To cope with the shortage, officials have been regulating the supply tightly and fining anyone using water for the garden or for washing cars.

People who had already planned hundreds of Holi parties and events have responded to the plea by cancelling them and embracing a dry Holi to show their commitment to civic duty.