Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌫️ Today’s weather: High: 29 ℃ | Low: 18 ℃ | Mist.
🧐 Did you know? The Bangalore Literature Festival was started in 2012.
🥶 Coldest night
Brace for an exceptionally cold December night today, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a minimum temperature of 12.4°C, marking the coldest December night in 14 years.
What’s it about? The last similar record was on December 24, 2011, when the city experienced 12.8°C. This unusual drop breaks the typical December average of 15.7°C for Bengaluru.
- Recent data highlights the progressive dip in temperatures, with the city recording 15.5°C on Sunday, while the HAL airport area reached 14.7°C, and Bengaluru International Airport hit 14.5°C.
- For the coming days, the IMD predicts clear skies with morning fog or mist in certain areas.
Causes: Meteorologists attribute the current cold spell to prolonged rains caused by low-pressure systems along the coast, which have significantly contributed to the temperature drop. Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s record-low temperature of 7.8°C, recorded on January 13, 1884, remains unmatched.
💦 Water extraction
Bengaluru faces a critical water crisis with its groundwater extraction rate reaching an alarming 150.84%, far exceeding sustainable limits, according to the Jal Shakti Ministry.
What’s it about? Among the city’s regions, Yelahanka stands out as the most stressed, extracting over 225% of its available groundwater resources. Other urban areas, such as Bangalore North, East, and South, also reported extraction rates exceeding 200%, while Bangalore City itself recorded a staggering 217.4%.
- The water stress is attributed to rapid urbanisation and inadequate water management strategies.
- The ministry shared these details in response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, comparing Bengaluru’s situation with Delhi, where groundwater extraction is at 99.13%, classified as “critical”.
Challenges acknowledged: The government has acknowledged the challenges posed by excessive groundwater withdrawal and outlined potential solutions, including reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology, which is effective for groundwater treatment.
⚡Power cut
Residents of Koramangala should prepare for scheduled power outages on December 17 and 18 as the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) is undertaking maintenance work aimed at enhancing the city’s power infrastructure.
What’s it about? The affected areas include key residential and commercial hubs such as St John Wood Apartments & Hospital, Tavarekere, Accenture, Oracle, Christ College, BTM Layout, Majestic Apartments, Suddhagunte Palya, Gurappan Layout, Victoria Layout, Balaji Theatre, Palm Grove Road, RK Garden, Neelasandra, Air Force Road, and Anjaneya Temple Street, among others.
- The outages will occur from 10 AM to 3 PM on both days and are part of BESCOM’s efforts to improve power supply reliability.
- BESCOM has urged residents to cooperate during this maintenance period, emphasising the importance of the work for a more consistent and efficient electricity supply.
Larger scheme: This maintenance is part of a larger modernisation initiative by BESCOM, which involves the implementation of advanced technologies such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and the Distribution Management System (DMS).
🚌 Uber shuttle
Uber is planning to launch its shuttle bus service in Bengaluru, aiming to reduce the city’s severe traffic congestion by providing commuters with an alternative to personal vehicles.
What’s it about? The service would allow passengers to pre-book seats, board from designated locations, and be dropped off at their destinations, with buses running at intervals of 2-3 minutes.
- The company intends to operate 200 air-conditioned buses along the Outer Ring Road.
- Uber’s shuttle bus service has already seen success in Kolkata and Delhi, and the company is actively engaging with the Karnataka government to secure regulatory approval for its Bengaluru launch.
BTS presentation: To build public awareness and support, Uber showcased its shuttle bus at the Bengaluru Tech Summit last month to IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge and other stakeholders, emphasising its potential to alleviate traffic issues in the city.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you use appliances like room heaters?
- I use appliances like room heaters.
- I do not use appliances like room heaters.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What can be some solutions to reduce the city’s groundwater dependency?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Parents of students of Orchid International School have alleged that the school has been locking students in dark rooms over delayed fee payments.
- Only 18 of the 47 government buildings in the city were found to have been upgraded under the Accessible India Campaign.
- LTIMindtree has announced the launch of its Cyber Defense Resiliency Center in the city.
- The Gode BLR Mural Festival has turned the city’s streets into art galleries.
- Airbus has signed a lease for 650,000 sq ft of office space in Whitefield to establish a Global Capability Centre.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- My workplace is in an IT park: 42.9%
- My workplace is not in an IT park: 57.1% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great day!