Karnataka has banned the usage of drinking water for non-essential purposes like washing cars and gardening amid the ongoing crisis in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Water Supply and Sewerage Board urged residents to use the scarce recourse economically, and banned the usage of drinking water for washing vehicles, construction, gardening, water fountains and entertainment purposes. The board also imposed a Rs 5,000 penalty for violations, and said the fine would go up by Rs 500 for every repeat offence.
The move comes after the Bangalore civic body capped the prices charged by privately operated water tankers based on the quantity of water and the delivery distance.
Bengaluru, with a population of close to 1.4 crore, is grappling with an acute shortage of water due to scanty rains and plunging groundwater levels.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that out of the 14,781 borewells under Bengaluru's civic bodies, 6,997 have stopped giving water.
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Apartment complexes and gated communities are also putting restrictions on water usage.
In addition to Bengaluru, parts of Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada districts have been identified as 'susceptible' to a water crisis. According to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 223 out of the 236 Taluks in the state are facing a drought, with 219 of them severely affected.