Bengaluru may have to be evacuated in a decade if water crisis persists

When a residential complex near Bellandur Junction recently drilled a borewell, they found water at a depth of 1,050 ft. "This is the sixth borewell we got drilled in 10 years. And we are not sure how long water would last in this one," said Ajith Kaverappa, a resident of the complex that has 60 apartments. Most of the apartment complexes that have come up recently in Bengaluru, especially on Sarjapur Road, Bellandur, Bannerghatta Road, Whitefield, Yelahanka and Marathahalli, depend on borewell. But since these wells often go dry up because of high consumption, the residents and management of the complexes have no other option but to drill new borewells or buy water from private suppliers. Around 450km away, residents of Gadar village in Raichur, a backward district in north Karnataka, are facing a similar situation. Devendrappa, a 73-year-old farmer, got water at 30 feet below the ground when he first drilled a borewell in his field in the late 1980s. Recently, he had to dig to till 1,020 feet. He used to grow groundnut on 9 acres five years ago, but that has come down to 5 acres. "In another five years, I may not grow anything at all," says a dejected Devendrappa. This is the story across Karnataka. Groundwater, a major resource in times of crisis, is dwindling. Increase in the number of borewells and the decline of groundwater levels have resulted in borewells sinking to the depths of 1,000 feet in several areas.