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2 8 . 0 1 . 0 3 , B a n g a l o r
e, K a r n a t a k a |
Denied. Desperate.
Angry crowds break open water pipelines meant for
richSubbayyanapalya, in the Bangalore city, is a corporation-housing area with
about 1000 low-income families. This locality has been surviving on water drawn from
borewells, for years. Last year’s severe drought dried up the borewells,
Photo:CLAIRE ARNIES |
Bangalore gets
water from the Cauvery: 100km away |
The residents brought this problem to the notice of the
city corporation and requested them to provide alternative facilities till monsoons.
On 26 January 2003, desperation for water drove the people,
including angry women, to break open the government pumping mains. This they connected to
some of the public taps in the area. The action was fueled by the fact that their
immediate neighbours residing in the posh Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) area have
access to piped water 24 hours a day.
Investigation revealed that the 3100 houses in the BDA area
consume 12 million litres of water in two days. A rough estimate puts it at 1935 litres
per household per day. People of Subbayyanapalya buy water in tanks at Rs 125 per tank
load. Their better-off neighbours pay a flat rate of Rs 90 per month. Another case of the
poor paying more. Despite this ‘vandalism’, there seems to be no solution in
sight for these residents of India’s silicon valley.
— Reported by Ramya Vishwanath,
Bangalore |
Big thirsty cities
The world is fast turning predominately urban, while
agriculture demands more and more for irrigation. It will be difficult for cities to meet
the rising demand for freshwater. In developing countries rapid urban growth often puts
tremendous pressure on antiquated, inadequate water supply systems. For instance, between
1950 and 1980, the population of many cities in Latin America, such as Bogota, Mexico
City, São Paulo, and Managua, tripled or even quadrupled. African cities like Nairobi,
Dar es Salaam, Lagos, and Kinshasa grew sevenfold, primarily because of a rural exodus. In
the 1990s, cities of developing countries have had to cope with about 60 million new
arrivals every year. Many agencies are not equipped to manage the urban water supply,
while some countries have ineffective water allocation systems that allow cities to run
short of water at the same time that water resources are being used for subsidised
irrigation in agriculture.
PER CAPITA WATER
WITHDRAWALS FOR PERSONAL USE (AVERAGE): |
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Source: The Johns Hopkins University, Population Reports |
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