Bengaluru’s acute water crisis continues with the city already feeling the heat, even though peak summer is still a few weeks away. The Arkavathi Reservoir, a major tributary of the Cauvery River, which originates from Nandi Hills, once a major source of drinking and irrigation water is almost dry. Even the faint trickle that remains is sludgy and highly polluted the effects of uncontrolled development, encroachments, too many borewells and eucalyptus cultivation, all of which has negatively impacted the river.
According to a recent water quality report, released by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), there has been a substantial increase in coliform bacteria levels with total coliform value going from 9,200 MP/100 ml in 2018 to 1,60,000 MPN/100 ml in 2023. While efforts to revive the river are already underway, and have been so for a while, it clearly isn’t ready to augment existing water resources in Bengaluru just yet.
