BENGALURU, Karnataka: It is the holy time of Ramadan and the six members of Abdullah’s family are struggling to maintain the basic hygiene required to observe Roza and offer Namaz, amid rising heat and an unprecedented water crisis in Bengaluru.
A sense of dusty despair surrounds their home, a tin-roofed shed in the migrant shanties near Kariyammana Agrahara, situated in East Bengaluru’s Bellandur, right behind a plush apartment complex.
In the scorching summer heat, the only source of water for migrant families living here is a water tanker the landlord provides once a week. It fills up the three blue plastic drums (of about 200 litre capacity), lined up outside every house in Abdullah’s neighbourhood.
“We need them to provide us with water at least twice a week. Each family needs at least six drums a week, but now we barely manage with two or three drums to meet the entire family’s needs including bathing, washing and cooking,” 36-year-old Abdullah, who wished to be identified by only his first name, told The Migration Story.
They are amongst the worst hit in the sprawling city’s water crisis.
Employed across diverse service sectors including construction, retail garments, hospitality, and manufacturing, these workers drive the thriving IT industry in the city and propel its booming real estate market. Yet, they find themselves battling an escalating water crisis on an unequal footing with local residents, who enjoy greater access to water at lower costs.
Abdullah migrated from Karimganj district in Assam, over seven years ago and now works as a housekeeping staff in Bengaluru.
However, this summer they face the harsh consequences of a searing water crisis in the city, exacerbated due to severe drought, depleted ground water resources and limited access to piped water supply.
MOUNTING WATER WOES
The acute water shortage in the migrant homes in Kariyammana Agrahara has pushed many workers to use drinking water for daily chores such as bathing and cleaning utensils. Sourced through the nearest water kiosk located half a mile away, they purchase potable water in smaller cans of 25 litres capacity.
“It costs us Rs 30-40 per can depending on availability. We are now spending around Rs 100-120 to get drinking water every day,” said Abdullah’s cousin Sahil, who earns Rs 15,000 a month running a grocery store that is frequented by migrant workers in Kariyammana Agrahara.
“The most important thing during Roza is cleanliness. We are expected to wash ourselves before offering Namaz every time. But we barely have water to wash our face, forget having a bath,” he said.
LIVING ON THE MARGINS
This year, the residents of Bengaluru complained of unusually hot and dry summer months as early as February. However, the fact that the IT city’s taps have run dry this summer is no surprise.
An assessment in 2018 had listed Bengaluru to be among the top ten metropolitan cities of the world that are on the verge of an imminent water crisis. The city is among six other global megacities, including Los Angeles, Moscow, Lahore, Delhi, and Beijing, that are located in regions with perennial water scarcity.
DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY
In her decade-long stay in Bengaluru, Manthamma (40) describes this as the worst summer she has witnessed.
She lives with her seven-member-family, including her mother, brother, sister-in-law, and their three children, in a one-room shed in Jakkur, North Bengaluru, which lacks both a tap water connection and an attached toilet.
They rely on two piped connections provided by the City Municipal Council for their water supply, which also cater to the needs of 20 other migrant shanties nearby.
“Unlike last year, this year the water is supplied only once in two days for just about half an hour to one hour. We queue up to collect at least four pots per household even with the thin flow of water. But sometimes, there are power cuts and overcrowding,” said Manthamma, who works as a domestic help.
In an attempt to make up for the shortages, a temporary white tank with a notice that reads ‘free water’ is stationed at the entrance of their shanties by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
However, the tank outside Manthamma’s house has been refilled just thrice in the last two weeks, and never lasted more than a day. Every time the water tanker visits, collecting and storing water becomes a family affair, with girls and boys of all ages huddling around swiftly to fill as many pots as possible.
Globally, the number of people living in such cities and experiencing water scarcity is expected to rise significantly, crossing two billion by 2050, the differential impact of which will be borne by vulnerable populations such as migrant workers.
