•The Karnataka water crisis has affected more than 7,000 villages, 1,100 wards, and 220 talukas thus far.
•The problem encompasses Mandya and Mysuru districts, where a major Cauvery river watershed and the Krishnaraja Sagar dam are located, and both important sources of water to Bengaluru.
•Bengaluru consumes roughly 1,400 million litres a day each from the Cauvery and groundwater reserves.
•The groundwater recharge rate is much lower while the Cauvery’s was compromised by last year’s ‘deficient’ rain.
•Seasonal lakes have since dwindled, while perennial lakes have been strangled by concretisation and sewage.
•Rapid growth, such as Bengaluru has had this century, and short-termism cannot coexist.
•There is a need for circular water economy that maximises utility of every litre, reducing the city’s dependence on external sources.