GANGA 52nd Issue | Page 5

major task for these countries. Urban Schemes in four stages without taking ground water crisis is the symptom of responsibility for replenishing the used poor water management in urban areas. water. When people turn taps on, they take this for granted that there will be clean water. A Recent study by the Institute for Social and Economic Change noted that; But to accomplish this fact, it takes a lot of infrastructure. It needs about 492 • There has been a demand-supply gap billion liters of water per day to feed the in surface water supply. The usage of Cities covering a total distance of nearly groundwater has decreased but still 27359 KM. About 41% of Earth’s land substantial quantity are drawn. area acts as a funnel for urban regions, • Estimation of the exact quantities of gathering rainfall and directing it toward surface and groundwater used is the 3.9 billion people who live in cities. necessary. These lifelines are under intense • Usage of Ground water needs to be pressure and Indian cities are facing this restricted. Alternative arrangements crisis more and more. can be made, group wells could be encouraged to save costs. Bangalore • Bangalore has no perennial river, and has many lakes surrounding the City, It would be important to make groundwater recharging mandatory. • Rainwater harvesting is the need of which was acting as a source of the hour. The BWSSB should offer groundwater recharge earlier but with an economic incentive to people rapid urbanization, these lakes have who consume less piped water. vanished and have been converted into residential and • commercial Creating awareness campaigns on through water localities. Bangalore Water Supply and conservation through mass media Sewerage communication is vital. Board (BWSSB), an organization responsible for providing water supply and sewerage system • It also recommends the setting up of a taskforce exclusively to regulate has implemented Cauvery Water Supply 5 Integrated River Basin Management Society