This week, water in Bengaluru just got more expensive.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has announced a hike in water tariffs, citing rising demand, depleting sources, and the urgent need to upgrade city infrastructure. While the revised pricing structure aims to cover operational costs, it also signals something else — a call to action.
Under the new rates, households consuming less than 8,000 litres a month will now pay Rs 7 per kilolitre, up from Rs 6. But the sharpest sting is for the heavy users: homes guzzling over 25,000 litres monthly will see their rates jump from Rs 25 to Rs 40 per kilolitre. And with summer already scorching, that bill could shoot up faster than a geyser on full blast.
But there’s a silver lining. You don’t need to overhaul your lifestyle or ration every drop to fight the tariff tide. Sometimes, all it takes is a tiny tweak at the tap.
Tiny Device, Massive Difference
Enter the aerator — a small, unassuming attachment that fits onto your tap and does something magical: it mixes air with water, maintaining the pressure while cutting the water flow, often by up to 50%.
“Most people don’t realise how much water their taps are spewing,” says Vishwanath S, a Bengaluru-based water expert. “A regular tap gushes out around 10 litres per minute. With an aerator, that can be reduced to five or even three litres per minute — without affecting usability.”
It’s a minor tweak with major impact — especially when you consider how many times we wash hands, rinse vegetables, or scrub dishes in a day.
The Hidden Guzzlers in Your Home
To get a clearer picture of domestic water flow, we turn to Shashidhara Kumaraswamy, co-founder of EverythingECO, a Bengaluru company that manufactures and installs water-saving devices.
“Most commercially sold taps have a flow rate of 14 to 18 litres per minute,” he says. “They might come with dust filters, but those don’t conserve water — they just smooth out the flow. Aerators, on the other hand, actually reduce the water volume.”
His team conducted audits across households and commercial spaces and came up with ideal flow rates:
- Handwashing taps: 3 litres per minute
- Kitchen taps: 6 to 8 litres per minute
- Showers and health faucets: up to 9 litres per minute (with flow restrictors)
The company offers aerators ranging from 0.5 to 6 litres per minute, with the three-litre variant proving most popular for household sinks. For the kitchen, people often choose a slightly higher flow for better coverage while rinsing utensils.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
From restaurants and hospitals to industrial kitchens and family homes, water needs vary — and so do the solutions. EverythingECO tailors aerator setups to match the user’s environment. Their portfolio now includes custom devices for bulk washing areas, high-pressure pipelines, and sensitive environments where hygiene and efficiency must go hand in hand.
“An audit helps us figure out exactly what kind of flow rate is ideal for a space,” Shashidhara explains. “Then we install the right aerator, and voilà — same pressure, half the water.”
The devices start at just Rs 150, are easy to install (often DIY), and are compatible with most taps found in Indian homes. Add flow restrictors to the mix — ideal for showers and older taps — and you’ve got a water-saving arsenal ready to fight back against rising bills.
A Ripple Effect of Responsibility
Bengaluru has long battled a complex relationship with water — monsoon floods on one hand, summer droughts on the other. The new tariff may pinch, but it also provides an opportunity: a gentle nudge (or maybe a hard shove) toward sustainable living.
And the best part? It doesn’t require radical changes. Just a mindset shift.
Imagine if even half the households in Bengaluru installed aerators. That’s millions of litres saved every day, not to mention reduced strain on the city’s water grid, fewer tanker trips, and lower collective carbon footprints.
Final Thoughts: Turn the Tap, Start a Revolution
We often hear the phrase “every drop counts” — and in Bengaluru today, that couldn’t be more true.
As the city’s residents brace for higher bills and a drier summer, tools like aerators prove that the most powerful solutions are often the simplest. A small device, a tiny decision, and suddenly, you’re saving water — and money — with every twist of the tap.
So the next time you’re washing your hands or rinsing your rice, take a second to consider what’s flowing out of that faucet. It might be time to slow the stream — not because you have to, but because you can.