Peenya, an industrial estate in Bengaluru and one of the largest in Asia, is staring at a dry spell for thousands of businesses as the tech city faces a creeping water crisis.
Peenya has over 16,000 business units, a majority of which are from electrical, electronics, automobile, packaging, garments, lubricants, consumer items and pharmaceuticals.
Arif H M, president of the Peenya Industries Association, told Business Standard that the crisis in the industrial estate was serious and demanded urgent attention. “We are facing a lot of problems, and are meeting authorities regularly to find a solution,” he said.
Arif feared an impending blow to production. “Many from the hosiery or garment sector need water for processing. You need water for workers as well as other needs. The government is saying it will source recycled water for the industry. But for that there is a tendering process and at this rate we will not get water this season,” he added.
Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry, said that the situation demanded that the government, industries and citizens fight the crisis together. “The impact on the industries will be big because we will have to buy from tankers and costs will go up.”
Asked about a likely impact on business, Lahoti said that though it’s difficult to gauge it immediately, product costs could go up.
The voices of industry are the latest after residential complexes in some parts of the city raised concerns about water shortage.
A resident of Bannerghatta Road in the southern parts of the city, who lives in an area of around 400 apartments, said although there was no shortage yet, discussions were rife on tackling such a scenario.
Amit Patil (name changed), a resident of JP Nagar in South Bengaluru, said so far his apartment complex had not resorted to water rationing. “Our residential association is looking at it. But considering the city did not get any rain last year, this situation was expected.”
Essential services like hospitals were also facing similar fear. A senior executive of a hospital chain said that they were relying on water tankers so far to tide over any potential crisis.
Jaya Dhindaw, executive program director, sustainable cities at research organisation WRI India, said the situation waiting to happen as bore wells had been created haphazardly. Despite a mandated water harvesting rule, societies or commercial establishments ignore it largely, she said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg, and unless systematically tackled, this situation is going to recur.”
She pointed to the phenomenon of self-provisioning of services common in Bengaluru, especially on the outskirts where basic infrastructure or piped water from municipality is lacking. “Self-provisioning carries the weight of environmental, economic and social challenges and externalities. With tanker water being restricted and exorbitantly priced, the situation has become severe,” she added.
“The water shortage will affect households as well as office complexes and campuses. All companies and tech parks should take measures to save as much water as possible. We also urge the authorities to take the right measures to bridge the gap between demand and supply for both corporates and residences,” said Krishna Kumar Gowda, Outer Ring Road Companies Association.
On Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had said the government would ensure adequate water supply to Bengaluru. “Some of the tankers are supplying water for Rs 600, while some others are charging up to Rs 3,000. In order to standardise pricing, we have asked all the water tankers to register with the authorities. Prices will be fixed based on the distance travelled by the tankers,” he told reporters.
(With inputs from Sohini Das)
First Published: Mar 06 2024 | 11:38 PM IST