Bengaluru, once known for its clean rivers and lakes, now faces a growing environmental disaster, as its waterways become dumping grounds for industrial effluents, domestic sewage, and solid waste. Bellandur Lake, infamous for its foamy surface and fires, is just one example of the city’s ecological decline. Similarly, the Kelavarapalli Dam and Byramangala Dam, both situated along critical rivers, regularly witness foam buildup that disrupts road traffic, symbolising a larger environmental collapse. These visibly polluted water bodies are more than just an aesthetic problem; they point to a much deeper, looming crisis—the contamination of Bengaluru’s drinking water sources.
As the city’s urban and industrial growth intensifies, so does its drinking water crisis. Over the years, the focus of policymakers has largely been on sourcing water from distant rivers like Netravathi and Sharavathi, leading to costly infrastructure projects that may prove unsustainable in the long run. Pollution prevention has consistently taken a backseat, resulting in the degradation of essential resources like the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir (TGR), a once-reliable source of drinking water. Despite preservation efforts initiated in 2003, TGR now serves as little more than a dumping ground for wastewater, having become increasingly toxic over the years.
The Yettinahole Drinking Water Project, which proposes to channel fresh water from the Netravathi River to Bengaluru’s dry districts at an estimated cost of over Rs 23,000 crore, is a prime example of the government’s attempt to address water scarcity. However, a critical oversight looms large. While the project intends to provide 1.8 tmc of water to TGR, this will likely be contaminated by the untreated wastewater already flowing into the Arkavathi River. Paani.Earth, a Bengaluru-based environmental group, recently revealed that about 163 million litres per day (MLD) of wastewater flow into the reservoir, with only 20 MLD treated by a small sewage treatment plant. The remaining 143 MLD of untreated wastewater continues to pollute the river, creating a paradox where fresh water brought in at great expense may be rendered undrinkable by the very pollution that exists unchecked.
With no clear solutions in sight, the government is now turning to nature-based approaches to mitigate the impact of 20 MLD of pollution during the monsoon season. However, the scale of the problem remains much larger, with daily untreated wastewater entering TGR continuing unabated. Moreover, diverting wastewater downstream could worsen the situation by polluting other vital water sources like the Manchanabele Dam. This situation highlights a fundamental disconnect between the government’s ambitious plans to solve the water crisis and the overwhelming pollution that threatens to undo all these efforts. A more comprehensive, long-term strategy is needed—one that addresses both pollution and water sourcing simultaneously—before Bengaluru’s water security reaches a tipping point.
