After residential societies, industrial areas in and around Bengaluru are facing severe water shortage, at a time when the maximum temperature in the region is 36 degree Celsius. The meteorological department has already predicted a harsh summer for Karnataka’s capital city.
Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) has approached the government for a solution to the water shortage. FKCCI’s vice president said that the government has promised them to dig borewells near the industries to fulfill water supply.
The existing borewells are reportedly drying up, and private water tankers are becoming expensive.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya met the chairman of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and warned to stage protest against Congress if issue is not solved within a week.
“We will protest in front of Vidhana Soudha if the issue is not resolved within a week,” Surya said, alleging that the Siddaramaiah government is approaching the issue in an “unscientific manner”.
A report in Moneycontrol quoted U Sathyanarayana, honorary secretary of the Peenya Industries Association, as saying, “Shortages of water are affecting industries and production. The garment industry relies heavily on water which is also essential for electroplating, CNC machine component manufacturers, and others.”
He said borewells in the industrial areas have dried up, and private water tankers have become expensive, driving up production costs. “We are requesting BWSSB to supply treated water to industrial units given the water crisis,” Sathyanarayana was further quoted.
S Selvakumar, principal secretary, commerce and industries, was quoted by the publication as saying, “When there is a drinking water crisis in the city, there is a shortage for industries too. But we are now trying to source water from nearby borewells and private tankers so that production will not be affected.”
Moneycontrol also spoke to FKCCI president, Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, who told them, “We anticipated this water crisis due to the weak southwest monsoon and drought. We have to purchase water at a higher rate for the next three months until the monsoon sets in. We also urge everyone to use water judiciously until we receive adequate rain.”
Last month, Karnataka industries minister MB Patil held a meeting, acknowledging that industrial areas in Bengaluru urban and rural, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, and Kolar districts were facing severe drinking water problems, the report stated.
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