Leaders Online: Residents of Bangalore, known as the IT hub, are currently facing acute water scarcity. Due to this, some netizens have requested the IT industry and the government to provide work from home facilities to employees. If employees are given the option to work from home temporarily, they say, Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley, can help overcome the water crisis. News about this The Economic Timesis given by (Bengaluru water crisis)
Many legal and water experts are also suggesting the work from home option to the Karnataka government as a solution to the water crisis. Speaking at a recent event, former Chief Justice of Karnataka and Assam High Court K. Sridhar Rao has proposed a short-term work-from-home policy for around 1.5 lakh IT workers, especially in Bangalore. Allowing work-from-home arrangements for a year would see around 1 million people return to their hometowns, which would ease some of the strain on Bangalore's resources, he said.
Population growth
In the 1980s, the population of Bangalore city was between 25 and 3 million. Now it has gone up to 1.5 crore, Justice Rao has pointed out. Karnataka was facing a three-year drought in 2003-2004. But at that time the population was less. He has also suggested alternatives like pumping out the silt from the ponds, saying that it has not had a negative impact.
Work from home option
Many netizens have agreed with Justice Rao's suggestions. “Work from Home (WFH) will actively contribute to water conservation. People will return to their hometowns, which will help reduce the stress on Bangalore,” said one user.
Another user said, “IT companies should offer work from home to migrant workers to go to their native place and do remote jobs till summer ends. This will provide relief to the people of Bangalore from water crisis.”
Some netizens said that employees were given the option to work from home during the Corona epidemic. Now this option should be seriously considered. “Employees and their families supported companies to work from home (WFH) during Covid-19. Now it's time they allow home from office,” said one user.
Result of low rainfall
Many borewells in Bangalore have gone dry due to low rainfall. This has created a serious problem of water scarcity. HSM Prakash, retired Deputy Director General of the Geological Survey of India, has warned that the monsoon season of 2024 will also see less rainfall. He has predicted that monsoon rainfall will decrease in 2024. Moreover, he has warned that the combined effect of reduced rainfall in 2023 and expected deficit in 2024 will be seen. (Bengaluru water crisis)
Another social media has urged IT companies to declare Work From Home for all. He said, “Half of the employees will go back to their native places. This will reduce scarcity,” it said.
Borewells have run dry
According to the Karnataka government, almost half of the 14,000 borewells in Bangalore have gone dry. Bangalore city receives about 1,470 MLD of water from Cauvery river. The Karnataka government hopes that if the Cauvery project phase is completed by June 5, the severity of the water crisis in Bangalore will ease.
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