Introduction

• According to the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the water input to the city has fallen by 50 percent. According to the Deputy Chief minister, 6,997 of the 16,791 borewells in Bengaluru have run dry.
• The inadequate rainfall has led to a significant drop in the water levels of the Cauvery River, adversely affecting both drinking water supply and agricultural irrigation.

Areas impacted

• Areas under Mahadevapura zone, including Kadugodi, Byrathi, Hoodi, Whitefield, Varthur, Marathahalli, Bellandur and AECS Layout, are some of the worst-affected regions in terms of water supply.
• Other places facing supply disruptions are Doddabidarakallu, Lingadheeranahalli under the RR Nagara zone, Konanakunte, Vasanthapura under the Bommanahalli zone, Thanisandra, Amruthhalli under the Yelahanka zone, and Chikkasandra, Mallasandra under the Dasarahalli zone.

Steps taken by authorities

• The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has set up a control room at its head office to resolve water supply issues in 110 villages under 35 of its wards. The civic body has also assigned nodal officers to take care of drinking water problems in several parts of the city impacted by the water crisis.
• It has also requested the public to alert the helpline number 1533 in case of drinking water problems in these wards. Those in other wards should contact the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) helpline number 1916.
• On 02 March, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced the state government would take control of all tankers distributing water sourced from borewells. He has warned water tanker owners that the government will seize their vehicles if they do not register with the authorities by Thursday (07 March).
• The Bengaluru Development Minister added that BWSSB officials have been instructed to be prepared to supply water from areas where groundwater is abundant
• Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has also announced that a total of INR 556 crore has been earmarked to address the water crisis in Bengaluru. Each Member of the Legislative Assembly in Bengaluru city has been given INR 10 crore to address water shortage in their respective constituency. Besides, the BBMP has also earmarked INR 148 crore and the BWSSB INR 128 crore to address the issue.

Impact on power supply

Share of hydroelectric power generation in Karnataka

• As of March 2023, the installed capacity of power in Karnataka is over 31,000 MW. Hydel power is one of the major sources of electricity production in Karnataka and has been on a steady rise. In Karnataka, 51 percent of the power comes from renewable energy sources, 34 percent from thermal, 12 percent from hydro, and 3 percent from nuclear.
• The state gets 12 percent of its power requirement from its 24 hydropower stations Hydroelectric power generation in the state has nearly doubled in five years since 2016-17. The state produced 6667.95 Million Units (MU) of hydroelectricity in 2016-17 and 13,721.08 MUs by 2021-22.

Past trend

• Karnataka received its lowest rainfall since 1973 last year. Due to a lack of rainfall, Karnataka went from being a power surplus State for four years to a State experiencing a daily shortfall of 40 – 50 MU. In October, the state witnessed an unexpected surge in demand of over 15,000 megawatts.
• The state’s demand has risen due to the absence of typical monsoon conditions. Aside from the last two weeks of July, the monsoon recorded a significant deficit in August and September, resulting in low water storage in the major hydroelectric dams within the state.
• With four powerhouses, Sharavathi Generation Station (SGS) is the major contributor to hydel power generation. SGS produces close to 4,990 MUs annually. The Linganamakki dam powerhouse, one of the powerhouses in Sharavathi, ceased operations in July 2023 after water levels at the Linganamakki dam plunged to 1,740 feet.
• To address the power shortfall and meet the rising demand, power purchases were made through the Day-Ahead Market (DAM) and Real-Time Market (RTM). Karnataka thus overcame the shortfall of power with barter power trading with other States and the imposition of Section 11 of the Electricity Act (which mandates them to sell the power to the State) on all the open access generators.

Forecast for 2024

• The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and other global meteorological agencies have suggested the likelihood of ample and above-average summer rainfall in Karnataka including Bengaluru. If the prevailing El Nino conditions withdraw as early as possible, the effect will be visible in the form of heavy summer rainfall, which will be more than normal in March-April.
• Skymet’s ‘Preliminary Monsoon Forecast Guidance for 2024’ also suggests a normal monsoon this year as against the ‘below-normal’ monsoon in 2023 attributed to the El Niño weather pattern.
• The report notes the recent shift from a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) to a neutral ‘Dipole Mode Index.’ The impending IOD event is expected to be ‘positive neutral,’ offering potential support to the southwest monsoon or, at least, not negatively impacting rainfall. A detailed forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) regarding monsoon conditions is expected to be out in April • Karnataka Energy minister K J George said that there will be no power shortage in Karnataka during summer. He has stated that the state government has taken all measures to increase the power production to meet the demands
• Moreover, in the state budget presented in February 2024, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government aims to increase the installed capacity from 32,000 Megawatts to 60,000 Megawatts in the next seven years.
• Karnataka has an estimated potential of up to 7,500 MW of hydroelectric power generation capacity. Out of this, only 3,400 MW, which constitutes about 45.42 percent of the estimated potential, is being utilized. The government is looking to bridge this gap to ensure continuous power supply in the state.

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