All borewells are dry including the one at my house: Karnataka Deputy CM

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar said officials are identifying points where water is available, adding ‘I am looking into this very, very, very seriously’ as the state has slipped into a worrying water crisis.

Highlighting the magnitude of the crisis, Shivakumar said 3,000 borewells in the city have dried up, including the one at his home.

‘All the borewells are dry, including the one at my house,’ NDTV quoted the Deputy Chief Minister as saying.

DK Shivakumar said he held a meeting of officials, adding ‘We are taking over all the tanks and are identifying the points where all water is available. Two hundred and seventeen tunnels have been tried. More than 3,000 borewells have dried up in Bangalore. Whatever water is coming from the Cauvery is coming...’

Accusing the Centre of not helping with the Mekedatu project, he hoped that Centre ‘will at least come to our rescue now to see the Mekedatu problem is solved.’

Shivakumar earlier said that Mekedatu project was the only solution to the state's water-sharing dispute with neighbouring states.

As the sources go dry, people have to pay through the nose to procure water in order to go about with their daily needs of water.

They have to pay ₹ 2,000 for a 5,000-litre water tanker, where it previously cost only ₹ 500 in the city.

‘We will ensure we provide at a very reasonable rate to all the people,’ Shivakumar reportedly said.

Deputy Chief Minister warned that water tanks having not registered with the authorities before the March 7 deadline would be seized.

‘Of the total 3,500 water tankers in Bengaluru city, only 10%, or 219 tankers, have registered with the authorities. The government will seize them if they don't register before the deadline,’ he was quoted as saying.

As many as 223 of the state's 236 talukas are facing drought, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.