Bengaluru Water Crisis: Parched Monkeys Enter Residential Complexes, BBMP Offers Solution

Bengaluru: Amid an acute water crisis engulfing Bengaluru, echoing the severity of its most severe drought in the past four decades, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city's civic authority, has been inundated with repeated complaints from residents regarding monkeys entering their households in search of food and water.  These parched monkeys have intensified their behaviour, resorting to outright attacks such as snatching food from both adults and children. 

BLG Swamy, the Deputy Conservator of Forests at BBMP, stated that the civic body's helpline receives an average of three to four complaints per week.  He noted that some individuals sporadically and without scientific basis offer food and water to these monkeys from their residences.

“If they find an allotted space and keep food for the monkeys, maybe that’s fine. However, people are keeping food and water on their windowsills or in their balconies. The family of monkeys waits for food, and if people don’t do it regularly, the hunger for food forces them to enter homes and even attack residents," he told a leading portal.

How to Manage Monkey Menace? 

• According to Swamy, addressing the monkey menace can be effectively managed either at the apartment level itself or through proactive measures.
• The installation of solar-powered fences around the compound, emitting mild shocks to deter animals, is a viable solution. This approach is both safe for monkeys and cost-effective for apartment complexes.
• BBMP operates an animal rescue team dedicated to addressing cases of monkeys infiltrating apartments or congregating in groups and causing harm. Swamy said, "If you capture one, especially the alpha male of the group, the other monkeys tend to scatter, fearing they too may be captured like their companion."
• Additional measures include offering residents the option to install grills or nets as barriers. Another effective solution suggested by forest officials is strategically placing stuffed ferocious-looking animal toys, such as bulldogs or tigers, within the complex. Monkeys are often intimidated by these toys, and over time, they tend to vacate the area. It's recommended to position these toys strategically, including at entry and exit points commonly used by the animals.

Bengaluru Water Crisis

Bengaluru is facing a severe water shortage before the onset of summer as over 3,000 borewells across the IT city have dried up. Karnataka Congress MLC BK Hariprasad on Wednesday claimed that there is no serious crisis in the city. “During summers, we always have problem for two months because of the huge expansion that has taken place in the city. There is no serious crisis of water; we have borewells, tankers...They (BJP) are trying to play politics out of water, they are speaking about releasing water to Tamil Nadu but that is not our job. The Central Water Commission takes that decision...,” he said.

Following the water crisis, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) issued an order prohibiting the use of potable water to fill swimming pools. The potable water supply in Bengaluru comprises both water from the BWSSB and borewells. The BWSSB has announced fines for water wastage, starting at ₹5,000 for the first offence and increasing by ₹500 per day for subsequent offences. Notably, swimming pools used for training sports personnel for national and international events are exempt from these fines. Moreover, the BWSSB plans to reduce water supply by 20% to bulk users, defined as those consuming 20 million litres of water daily. The city currently has 38 such bulk users, according to the board.