Amid the acute water shortage in Bengaluru, karnataka Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar said on monday the State had not witnessed such a severe drought in the past three-four decades, and the next two months are “very much important” but the situation is not as grave as being projected by the opposition BJP. Following the woes, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has said it will take legal action against those drilling unauthorised borewells within the city limits.

The order comes just days after the civic body banned the usage of potable water for non-essential purposes — cleaning vehicles, construction of buildings and roads, entertainment purposes or decorations like fountains — in Bengaluru and stated that violators would be fined Rs 5,000. Shivakumar also asserted there is no question of releasing Cauvery River water to tamil Nadu at any cost now. The situation is not as grave is being projected by the bjp, Shivakumar said targeting the saffron party, and urged the outfit to ensure clearance from the central government for Mekedatu, Mahadayi and other water projects of the state.

Responding to a question, he said, it was not his job to ask people to work from home (in the wake of the water crisis), and such a situation has not arisen yet. “It is only a blowup.” The government is committed to providing water to citizens of Bengaluru at any cost. “People may have to wait for a few hours for water to reach them.” The administration is making all efforts to manage the crisis and supply water to the citizens, he said, adding, steps have been taken to control the water “mafia” in the city. “In the last 30-40 years we had not seen such drought; though there was drought earlier we had never declared such a large number of taluks as drought-affected,” Shivakumar told reporters here.

Shivakumar, also in-charge of Bengaluru development, said wherever Cauvery river water has to be supplied in the city, it is being done, but out of 13,900-odd borewells in Bengaluru, about 6,900 have become defunct. bjp too had attacked the congress government alleging that it was keen to protect the interest of DMK, the party’s alliance partner in tamil Nadu, at the cost of Karnataka’s farmers and citizens, as it targeted the Siddaramaiah administration for allegedly releasing water from Cauvery river to tamil Nadu.

Shivakumar clarified that some water was discharged from KRS dam to replenish the shiva Balancing Reservoir at Malavalli from where it is pumped to Bengaluru.