Mysuru: Thousands of families living within a 10-km radius of Mysuru city are bracing for what they describe as the worst water crisis in decades, with borewells running dry and urban local bodies failing to ensure adequate water supply from the Cauvery and Kabini rivers.Residents in the affected areas are struggling to access potable drinking water and are increasingly dependent on private water tankers. According to residents, the crisis is worsening by the day in the city outskirts, with the tanker mafia reaping huge profits from the situation. They blame the prolonged delay in the implementation of the Rs 595-crore Hale Unduwadi project for their plight.“The tanker mafia is virtually dictating terms,” said Shyamala, a homemaker from Halli Bogadi. “Except for a few layouts, most residents are not receiving potable water. With groundwater levels dropping due to the drought, borewells are drying up. As a result, tanker operators are charging exorbitant rates,” she said.“Officials keep assuring us that water supply will be restored, but we do not know whom to approach for answers,” she added.Jayant J, president of Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti, Srirampura, said Kabini water supply to around 22 layouts in the area has remained suspended for the past two months. “We have been informed that water pumping has stopped,” he said.According to Jayant, residents across dozens of layouts are now dependent on borewell water. “Where borewells have failed, people are forced to buy water from tankers charging Rs 750 per load. Newly constructed overhead water tanks remain idle, and we have no clarity on what exactly is happening,” he lamented.The situation is no different in East Mysuru. According to AM Babu, president of the Manasi Nagara Residents’ Association and the East Mysuru Layout Residents’ Federation, the crisis has become severe. “Residents are now entirely dependent on tanker water, which costs between Rs 600 and Rs 800 per load,” he said.“We have been fighting for potable drinking water for a long time, but there is still no solution in sight,” he added.
