Ankita Upadhyay

Communications Professional. Views are my own.

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

If rail is a subject of interest, this discussion is sure to give you a good perspective. Stay tuned #futureofrail #Mobility #rail

[Mint @livemint]

[PARTNERED]

Mint Rail Vision by @AlstomIndia

A two-part roundtable on the future of India’s rail—game-changing ideas, top industry voices, and bold solutions. The first video drops tomorrow, February 21. Stay tuned. Watch the teaser now.

@Ankitau | @officialncrtc | @OfficialDMRC | #NCRTC #AlstomIndia #SustainableMobility

[Burson India @BursonIndia]

Burson India wins two Diamonds, one Gold and three Certificates of Excellence at the SABRE South Asia Awards 2024! Our heartiest congratulations to our amazing teams and client partners for this achievement.

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

We hit a hatrick! Super proud of the team and our partners. #TakingIndiaPlaces #MarketingCommunications #Digitalfirst @AlstomIndia @BursonIndia

[Burson India @BursonIndia]

Burson India wins two Diamonds, one Gold and three Certificates of Excellence at the SABRE South Asia Awards 2024! Our heartiest congratulations to our amazing teams and client partners for this achievement.

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

The first, they say is the hardest! A detailed view into the comms salary across industries, experience level, hierarchy in the company and other relevant parameters. Congratulations @tinucherian @EditorNanda @shashank_pr

[Amith - 🇮🇳 @amithpr]

Well done @tinucherian
@EditorNanda @shashank_pr

https://t.co/B79oFbdXy7

A first of its kind community-driven exercise supported by 700+ in-house Comms professionals. A salary guide...

[Anand Sankar @saybwala]

Bangalore’s potable water supply – the math is failing

The issue of Bangalore’s potable water supply used to be an obsession of mine when I was a young journalist in the city. I studied and wrote about it a lot from a landscape perspective. This obsession also came from an early childhood in the city that was water strained and all of us kids used to fill every container we knew with water when there was supply!

Summer 2024 looks bad – very bad, East Bangalore is going to be worst affected with water shortages. And that got me crunching the numbers again after many years. This is not just about one failed monsoon in 2023. The potable water supply scenario of the city is poised to enter negative territory even with normal or surplus monsoons in the future. Read on…

There are no exact estimates for potable water demand in Bangalore but its estimated based on current supply. Currently the BWSSB supplies ~ 1450 Million Litres Daily (MLD) + the city extracts almost half of that 700 MLD (crude guesstimate could be way more!) from borewells. Picture this – half a daily Cauvery supply of borewell water is extracted daily in Bangalore!
Most new property developments in Bangalore rely 100% on groundwater. Even our apartment in Bangalore, built in 2002, received piped water supply only in 2014-15 (lag of almost 15 years). At least 1/3rd of the urban areas and most peripheral urban villages still don’t have piped water. Piped water supply has been lagging in the city since – 1960s! Incrementally at great expense the Cauvery river, 90 kms south of Bangalore has been tapped and water pumped almost 1000m uphill to Bangalore.

Bangalore’s water is probably among the most energy inefficient on the planet, every drop is pumped up using many megawatts of electricity – either from the Cauvery or underground.

Since 1974, it has been a forlorn chase when demand forecasts and supply never meet. One thing is the BWSSB has always been good at is showing how big is the shortfall. It’s an organization in an unenviable position. It spends almost 80 pc of its revenue on electricity to pump water and knows that soon there won’t be any more it can pump.

There is a Cauvery Stage V water supply that might begin this year supplying a maximum of ~750MLD in phases, but that is the END. The Cauvery is fully tapped out for now and can’t spare a drop more for Bangalore.
So that is 1450 + 750 = ~2200 MLD (in a normal monsoon year) from the Cauvery + ~700 MLD (negatively trending) from groundwater.

The problem here is that the BWSSB only estimates demand from ‘planned developments’ and the Bangalore’s growth has been anything but that. Till 2021 the estimated planned demand was 2100 MLD and that will be met by 2025 when Cauvery Stage V is fully ON. The unplanned demand is being catered to by groundwater.

Total demand right now is ~ 2900+ MLD (the BWSSB predicts this ‘planned for’ in 2031 btw!). The way consumption is growing in the city, it might need 3200-3400 MLD before 2030, which the BWSSB only forecasts by 2041. You see the demand supply gap widening massively? The BWSSB itself now says they don’t have any more planned supply coming. Trust me, there is no other perineal water source that is currently being planned to be tapped for Bangalore at least for the next decade.

Cauvery is fixed at 2200 MLD. Where is 1000+ MLD going to come from by 2030? Because borewells are drying up, the ~700 MLD being extracted right now is diminishing. You need mega surplus monsoons to replenish and grow groundwater table. Is that going to happen regularly? Thus, every bad monsoon from now will only be a bigger disaster – less water in Cauvery + even lesser underground. In the next 3-4 years if you have a severe drought and lose 1,000+ MLD, what kind of rationing or prayers can save the population?

This summer is going to be a test for the Karnataka government. Bangalore competes for drinking water from the Cauvery with Mysore and irrigation needs of the entire area fed by KRS Dam. In election season this summer whose needs must be prioritized? There is already a clamor from farmers that they need water for standing crops and in the past protestors (and water thieves) have damaged the pipes that supply water to Bangalore. Will the needs of farmers be sacrificed again to supply more Cauvery water to Bangalore by 2030 in Stage VI, VII…?

If you plan to live in Bangalore for the long term – start answering this question NOW – where will I get water from in 2035? As of now the government hasn’t a clue about this, this problem is being kicked down the road.

My intention in writing this is not to create a doomsday scenario but to make people aware of the problem that has been well-discussed and written about. 2024 summer is the trailer for bigger crises ahead.

***
PS: 😆 In a decade North Indians in Bangalore might start heading back north - because even with effects of climate change and 'not so awesome weather', the Gangetic plains will still be water surplus for eons!

[Chess.com @chesscom]

What a World Cup for Pragg! 👏🇮🇳

An incredible story and a brilliant talent, @rpragchess took down two of world's top three, and secured his place in the 2024 Candidates Tournament! 🥈

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

@AITCofficial Update: he has suffered a hairline fracture and has to undergo therapy and medication over the next two months. Who takes ownership for this? #kolkatabus #tmc #kolkatapolice

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

@KolkataPolice @KPTrafficDept need your action and penalty on the driver and conductor of the dankuni bound white bus for overspending and rash driving as it injured my mother a senior citizen quite severely. She is currently getting treated. 1/2

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

How do we ensure the safety of travellers from these ill-trained bus drivers? I appeal for strict action, I have faith in your leadership. @AITCofficial

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

@KPTrafficDept owing to careless speeding by the local bus driver between the Bonhooghly to Dakshineshwar route my mom who is a senior citizen has suffered injury and is undergoing ortho therapy. Will be grateful for some action and penalty here. @KolkataPolice

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

Look forward to meeting the bright minds at @SCoReInd

[SCoRe @SCoReInd]

Ankita Upadhyay, Head - Communications & Customer, and Partnership Marketing at LocoNav, will take the Masterclass tomorrow!
It is a pleasure to have her share insights on 'Driving Business Value Through Communications' with the students at #PRSchool

#PR #Masterclass

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

Super thrilled! #XUV700 #icoty2022

[OVERDRIVE @odmag]

The Mahindra XUV700 wins the Indian car of the year 2022
#icoty2022

[OVERDRIVE @odmag]

The Mahindra XUV700 wins the Indian car of the year 2022
#icoty2022

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

#NewBeginnings

[Comms News @CommsNews_]

Ankita Upadhyay is now Head - Global Communications, Social Media and Employer Branding at Loconav.
@Ankitau was previously at Mahindra Group.

[Comms News @CommsNews_]

Ankita Upadhyay is now Head - Global Communications, Social Media and Employer Branding at Loconav.
@Ankitau was previously at Mahindra Group.

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

#NewBeginnings

[exchange4media group @e4mtweets]

Ankita Upadhyay joins Loconav as Head – Global Comms, Social Media and Employer Branding

@Ankitau @Loconavofficial @karanbhatias @shrabasti5 @RuchikaJha26

#communications #pr #media #appointmentupdates

https://t.co/YsGOlfEOma

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

@delhivery @help_delhivery my package got picked up yesterday don't have an SMS/web update about the pick up. I am moving cities so have some important things in the package. Been following up on DM since last night AWB 2829218915852 @MumbaiPolice

[Ankita Upadhyay @Ankitau]

@help_delhivery please help update the website for a delhivery package that got picked up today but the website/sms/email is not updated. I am moving cities, the package is very important. Delhivery Direct Order Placed: AWB 2829218915852