Bengaluru tech belt hit by double whammy of water supply crisis and rising demand due to work from office rules
flash floods, tech parks in Bengaluru are now gearing up to face a severe water shortage crisis, months before peak summer. With work-from-office enforced by most corporations, demand for water in these areas is higher than last year, at a time when weak southwest monsoon has created a drought situation across most of Karnataka.
The $245 billion IT industry has seen top companies including TCS, Infosys and Wipro calling people to “return-to-office” for a minimum of around 3-5 days a week. Bangalore Apartments' Federation General Secretary Vishnu Gattupalli told ET that tanker water supply is not enough to meet the needs of the employees who have returned from their hometowns, tech offices, and residents in the ‘Silicon Valley’s’ tech belt.
Residents of areas like Whitefield, Mahadevpura and RR Nagar – home to companies like Infosys, Wipro, IBM, Tech Mahindra – have been advised to ration the water they have and use it judiciously, he added. While the median tanker rate is Rs 131 per 1000 litres, the price climbs up along the city’s tech belt, with areas like Horamavu paying Rs 207 per 1000 litres and RR Nagar residents paying Rs 238 per 1000 litres, according to a survey by the Federation.
Images of residents in the area queuing up for water are popping up over social media. A techie living in Mahadevpura said she needs to now book tankers about two days in advance to get water, as well as pay a hefty price. “I cannot leave town either as my job requires me to go to the office everyday,” she added.
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