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If you step out into <keyword id="19895037" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bengaluru" source="keywords">Bengaluru</keyword> traffic these days, there’s a good chance you’ll discover a bulky water tanker spearheading the all-too-familiar clog in traffic. Amidst the ongoing <keyword id="6355836" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-crisis" source="Orion">water crisis</keyword>, India’s Silicon City has mobilised thousands of tankers that zip, almost heroically, across the city, rescuing parched residences from the metro’s urban planning crisis. Bidding to reduce their reliance on the exorb<keyword id="6354185" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="it" source="Orion">it</keyword>ant tankers — a necessary step after the exhaustion of half the city’s groundwater-fed borewells — many residential societies have begun innovating water-saving techniques, with varying degrees of success. However, for the several businesses and industries littering the metropolitan town, it seems like dark days are looming. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="IT in turmoil" comment="subhead" text="IT in turmoil">IT in turmoil</cmsannotation> Hosting over 1,400 tech companies that employ tens of lakhs of employees, Bengaluru has certainly earned its title as India’s ‘Silicon Valley’. Not only has this driven a rapid boom in economic, infrastructural and industrial development, the city has acted as a magnet for people looking for attractive employment opportunities. Unfortunately, this success has also resulted in <a href="https://bpac.in/bangalore-population-growth-consequences-and-possible-solutions/" data-type="tilCustomLink">population levels haphazardly spiking</a> from 2,900 people per square kilometre in 2001 to 4,300 within a single decade. Estimates suggest that this figure may have breached 8,000 by now! In addition to deterring water-cooler conversations, the lack of water in their workplaces have led to several companies already urging employees to work from home. Echoing a growing sentiment among the city’s techies, <a href="https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/it-companies-in-bengaluru-urged-to-give-15-lakh-employees-wfh-option-as-city-grapples-with-water-crisis/articleshow/108761390.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">ex-Chief Justice K Sreedhar Rao also pleaded</a> for temporary remote arrangements for migrant IT workers to depopulate Bengaluru till the water crisis is dealt with. However, many such multinational employees have already begun to preemptively take matters into their own hands by temporarily or permanently moving to other cities, such as the nearby Mysuru. Needless to say, this has disrupted operations for many companies, including some of the top IT firms in Bengaluru. In a surprising turn of tragic events, senior personnel at <keyword id="19969515" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dell" source="keywords">Dell</keyword> have begun skipping meetings to prioritise their procurement of water, reported the Deccan Herald. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Real estate rates to fall; restaurants forced to adapt" comment="subhead" text="Real estate rates to fall; restaurants forced to adapt"><keyword id="6354553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate" source="Orion">Real estate</keyword> rates to fall; restaurants forced to adapt</cmsannotation> With pleasant weather the year round, Bengaluru has proven itself time and again as an excellent place to settle down and relax. The city’s diverse population is a testament to its uncanny ability to draw people from all over India, even before the city’s notable IT boom. Real estate has now hit an all-time high, with high demand and attractive financial options helping the sector grow exponentially in the past few decades, reportedly recording a staggering nine-year-high 54,000 housing units sold in 2023. However, the city’s recent water woes have left potential property investors second-guessing. According to a recent Deccan Herald poll, around 60% of the respondents noted that they have postponed their move to Bengaluru due to the ongoing shortage, while a similar number of people have also begun evaluating investment options in other cities. Homebuyers have also begun to diligently inquire into <keyword id="55273" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="groundwater" source="Orion">groundwater</keyword> borewell depths and water-saving technologies when consulting developers. While <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/bengaluru-water-crisis-alarms-property-investors-dh-poll-2930539" data-type="tilCustomLink">many contractors remain firm</a> that these reactions are not representative of a long-term trend, some experts have predicted that a fall in property prices may become inevitable. A <a href="https://www.republicworld.com/business/real-estate/bengaluru-water-crisis-property-prices-in-peenya-hsr-layout-marathahalli-to-fall-15-say-experts/" data-type="tilCustomLink">Republic report</a> explains that house rates could fall up to 10-15% in the most water-stressed regions of East and Central Bengaluru, including HSR Layout, Marathahalli, Rajaji Nagar and Peenya. Needless to say, the crisis has also taken a toll on Bengaluru’s various hotels and eateries, many of which are severely dependent on tanker water for cooking, cleaning and drinking purposes. Krishna Raj, owner of the popular <keyword id="21126683" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nisarg-grand-hotel" source="keywords">Nisarg Grand Hotel</keyword>, <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/bengaluru-water-crisis-news-hotels-disposable-utensils-shortage-lok-sabha-polls-karnataka-dk-shivakumar-congress-bjp-11710055127680.html" data-type="tilCustomLink">explained</a> that they might have to begin serving food in disposable utensils if the trend continues into the summer months. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Industrial district parched" comment="subhead" text="Industrial district parched">Industrial district parched</cmsannotation> Located in Northwest Bengaluru, Peenya is home to thousands of industries of varying sizes, producing a host of electronics, textiles, packaging, machines and other consumer items. However, being one of the largest industrial areas in Asia hasn’t protected its businesses from the ongoing crisis. In an <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/industry/news/bengaluru-water-crisis-to-impact-local-industries-in-coming-weeks-experts-124030601026_1.html" data-type="tilCustomLink">interview with Business Standard</a>, <keyword id="21126682" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="peenya-industries-association" source="keywords">Peenya Industries Association</keyword> President H. M. Arif explained that the area’s micro-industries are strained to the point that many could be forced to close soon if the water crisis continues unmitigated. Many such sectors have also become hopelessly reliant on tanker water, and the associated rising costs have begun to bottleneck the manufacturing process. Prices of several commercial products could go up soon if this trend continues. “Many from the hosiery or garment sector need water for processing,” Arif explains. “You need water for workers as well as other needs. The government is saying it will source recycled water for the industry. But for that, there is a tendering process and at this rate, we will not get water this season.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Solutions and cautious optimism" comment="subhead" text="Solutions and cautious optimism">Solutions and cautious optimism</cmsannotation> This is not to say that the government isn’t taking measures to tackle the crisis. After ordaining centralised control over water tankers and actively regulating prices to ensure the city’s water isn’t hoarded solely by the rich, officials also placed bans on recreational water use. In addition, initiatives are underway to “inject” 1,300 million litres of purified water into the city’s drying lakes per day, which the officials allege will help restore local groundwater levels. <keyword id="19927086" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bwssb" source="keywords">BWSSB</keyword> has also announced plans to build an array of next-gen water treatment plants near restored lake beds to purify and deliver water wherever required. Addressing the harsh summers ahead, Karnataka government officials have expressed optimism that the completion of the Cauvery Five — a massive array of treatment plants that will treat sewage to produce 100 million litres of water a day — will help make up for any deficits by July. Meanwhile, many large corporations, including Microsoft, have begun utilising water-saving tap aerators to control water flow in the Bagmane Business Park offices. The city’s water board, the BWSSB, has also launched four mobile apps to help tackle the city’s water crisis. Attempting to bridge a gap between the water department and the citizens it serves, these apps will help residents book water online, apply for borewell permissions, report water misuse and more. At 24% of its total capacity, reservoirs across Karnataka are also drying up. Despite growing shortages, the state government has assured that the Cauvery River reservoir that supplies water to Bengaluru holds sufficient water levels to last at least until June. After that, the pre-monsoon and monsoon rains are expected to replenish the water resources. However, the supply remains much lower compared to the demand, and the only way to survive this summer could be to adopt drastic water-saving measures and a few good spells of pre-monsoon showers.

Water crisis affects businesses across Bengaluru; Is there room for cautious optimism?

<ul><li>India's Silicon Valley is headed to the polls today and unemployment is one of their main concerns. </li><li>It's not only the IT industry but also the small enterprises that have been hit by demonetisation and India's revamp of its tax system. </li><li>Bengaluru's transformation to an industrial hub hasn't been without its cost with the city's burgeoning environment pollution problem.</li></ul>Bengaluru, known as India’s Silicon Valley and home to two of the biggest IT companies in India — Infosys and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/wipro-phishing-attack-computer-system-hacked/articleshow/68918449.cms">Wipro</a> — goes to the polls today representing 17% of Karnataka’s population. Amid the rapid changes in technology and the United States <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/us-immigration-denial-of-h1-b-visas-raises-legal-questions/articleshow/68844794.cms">tightening</a> immigration laws, the sheen from India’s IT hub has dulled. Between 2016 and 2018, at least five million people lost their jobs in India according to a <a href="https://in.reuters.com/article/india-election-jobs/five-million-lost-jobs-in-india-between-2016-and-2018-report-idINKCN1RT1I3">report</a> by the Azim Premji University reporting unemployment increase in the formal and informal sectors of the economy. India is already looking at the highest unemployment rate in 45 years according to <a href="http://v">reports</a> and its effect is not lost on Bengaluru even with the <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/here-are-jobs-hiring-rises-by-15-bangalore-tops-check-where-delhi-mumbai-stand/1487202/">highest</a> hiring rate in the country. <a href="https://www.teamleasegroup.com/resources/reports/19">According</a> to TeamLease’s Employment Outlook, Bengaluru has been categorised as an employment ‘laggard’ with its employment outlook falling two percentage points in 2018. Waning job growth after demonetisation and the implementation of the General Goods and Services Tax (GST), Bengaluru is far from the day when it saw job spurts across the board for technical and blue-collar positions — starting from state run companies like India Telephone Industries Limited (ITI), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronic Limited (BHEL), and Bhart Earth Movers Limited (BEML). 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="One must remember that a significant number of voters come from outside Karnataka. In the IT sector, at best 65% of the people are locals and 35% are from outside. So it is quite possible that they cannot go back to their places to vote, while some may have gone back to vote. So I would not worry too much about voter turnout being only 55%." auname="Indian IT industrialist and co-founder of Infosys, NR Narayana Murthy"></div>

 Changes in technology As technology gets more complex with the rapid implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), so does the <a href="https://www.nasscom.in/system/files/secure-pdf/the-future-of-me_0.PDF">gap</a> of technical and non-technical skill requirements required for the sector. So, it's not that the jobs don’t exist in Bengaluru — there’s actually an increasing demand for highly skilled technical management jobs that offer <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bengaluru-pays-the-highest-salaries-in-india-study/articleshow/66743965.cms">high</a> salaries — but more, that people aren’t equipped with the correct skill sets for employment. The bigger issue boils down to the quality and content of educational institutions where the <a href="https://www.facilities.aicte-india.org/dashboard/pages/dashboardaicte.php">placement rate</a> of engineering and management schools was its highest at 30% between 2012 to 2018, according to AICTE’s online data dashboard. It’s not just Bengaluru that has jobs on its mind. It’s the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019-pew-research-report-on-key-election-issues/articleshow/68572903.cms">number one</a> issue for Indian voters as they participate in the world’s largest democratic exercise according to a report by the Pew Research Center (PRC). Lingering effects of demonetisation Demonetisation has been particularly hard for the citizens in Peenya, one of the biggest industrial areas in Asia located in northwest Bengaluru — and primary depends on cash for its transactions. It’s home to more than 6,000 small businesses, employing over 800,000 people and generation ₹120 billion ($1.72 billion) in revenue, according to Peenya Industries Association. Even Bengaluru’s realty market is only just <a href="https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/realty-market-rises-from-demonetisations-ashes/articleshow/63523111.cms">starting</a> to recover from the effects of demonetisation where property <a href="https://news.housebolo.com/demonetisation-impact-bangalores-property-markets-takes-a-hit/">registrations</a> dipped from 1,800 per day to 200 per day. Startups <a href="https://inc42.com/features/indian-startup-shutdowns-2017/">came</a> under the gun as well, especially the e-commerce segment. Bigger startups like Flipkart and Zomato, both based out of Bengaluru, had to <a href="http://v">figure out</a> how to make up for the fact that 60 to 70% of their orders were cash-on-delivery transactions. Choking on industrial waste While industries in Bengaluru have thrived over the past couple of years, it has not been without its cost. The city’s Bellandur Lake and Vrishabhavathi River have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The Bellandur Lake was seen spewing a 10-feet high wall of toxic foam that seeped on to the roads and bridges. 
	
 
 
 <div type="image" title="d7bc57be0e0a6a0fb56b45acb0836c51" msid="68930987" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The 10 feet of foam on Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru in 2016&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>









 Rashmi Mandanna, a south Indian actor, even did an underwater photoshoot at the lake to draw awareness the increasing problem of water pollution. 
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="iamRashmika" handlename="Rashmika Mandanna" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1048058166737608704/hcxNROBl_normal.jpg" favoritecount="12895" retweetcount="2839" status="This was a photoshoot regarding awareness for the water pollution by this wonderful team Creative Director :… https://t.co/CiRvenS0Ua" createdat="1544704656000" id="1073195228603928577"></div>









 The Peenya Industrial Belt, with more than 7,500 industries — including the Peenya, Yeshwanthpura, Rajajinagar, Jalahalli, Goraguntepalya and Dasarahalli industrial areas — has also been called into question for polluting the Vrishabhavathi River and the lakes within its catchment area. One of lakes, Nelagadaranahalli Lake, is even <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-bengaluru-s-peenya-industrial-area-has-choked-and-killed-its-surrounding-lakes-90116">speculated</a> to be more toxic than Bellandur Lake. The problem seems to be on the rise despite corporates facing penalties <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/pollution/ngt-makes-polluters-pay-nearly-double-so-far-this-year-than-whole-of-2018-63927">amounting</a> to ₹750 million ($10.8 million) within the first quarter of 2019 for water pollution in Karnataka from National Green Tribunal (NGT). The issue of the city’s lakes being polluted also fuels the resultant water crisis in the city. Citizens <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/mar/26/water-and-traffic-issues-bog-down-it-showcase-of-bengaluru-1955879.html">claim</a> that the water was crystal clear and used for drinking and agricultural activities. But despite these issues, the biggest <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/decoded-the-concerns-and-aspirations-of-the-urban-electorate-in-seven-indian-cities/articleshow/68868018.cms">challenge</a> is going to be getting voters to come out and participate in a city that has consistently recorded a low voter turnout. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP already paid the price for some of these issues by losing its opportunity to win during the Karnataka’s State Assembly Elections in 2018. But, the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress alliance that replaced the government has been <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/politics/dissidence-in-some-lok-sabha-seats-over-jds-alliance-says-congress-2078551.html">facing dissidence</a> in certain constituencies, hampering their prospects. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019-pew-research-report-on-key-election-issues/articleshow/68572903.cms">5 charts that tell you what India cares about ahead of 2019 elections</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-election-2019-second-phase-political-strategy-for-reserved-seats/articleshow/68925204.cms">Nearly a quarter of the seats in the Lok Sabha are “reserved” and they matter a lot in this election</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019-second-phase-of-polling-in-tamil-nadu-voters-issues/articleshow/68930595.cms">Tamil Nadu’s angry voters have a small oil field, a big highway, a medical entrance test, and a police shootout in mind</a>

Job losses will haunt Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, as it goes to polls today

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Water crisis affects businesses across Bengaluru; Is there room for cautious optimism?

Ankush Banerjee

Job losses will haunt Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, as it goes to polls today

Prabhjote Gill

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