The Union Urban Development Ministry has constituted a working group to suggest ways for the preservation of water bodies in the urban areas. Rapid disappearance of water bodies from the urban landscape has sounded an alarm vis-à-vis water shortfall and has also put a considerable strain on States’ spending to meet the demand for water.

A case in point is Bangalore, which despite having a Lake Development Authority that is considered a model worth replicating, is being forced to spend Rs. 3,000 crore a year on electricity, which is consumed for supplying water from the Cauvery.