JOIN USThirsting for more!
Those living on the new Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) areas struggled through the year, finding it tough to quench their thirst. The New Year will see increase in demand.
Is the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) prepared? Are Bangaloreans prepared? Is the Government ready to combat another crisis that is sure to hit the City in another three months?
The BWSSB, ready with many plans on paper, is certain that the water demand will only rise this year. For, Bangalore has no major river and the existing tributaries are all polluted.
As the Board chairman himself puts it, Bangalore needs 1,125 mld (million litres per day) but only 900 mld of water is being supplied now. There is demand for an additional 225 mld.
In 2002, there were only 3,10,000 water connections in the City, which almost doubled to 6,23,000 by 2010. As many as 35,000 new connections were added annually.
With the Centre's approval, the State Government had earmarked 14.52 tmc ft of Cauvery water for drinking water to Bangalore. Out of this, 6.5 tmc ft has been utilised in the III stage and 8 tmc ft for the IV stage II phase Cauvery water distribution.
As things stand, river Cauvery continues to be virtually the only source of water for the City. Only three per cent of the total water supply is sourced from the Tippagondanahalli (TG Halli) reservoir. Despite its capacity to meet a larger requirement, the reservoir has no defence against the industries and housing developments.
The results are there to see. BWSSB records state that the reservoir's water level dipped from 44 ft in 2008 to 32 ft in 2009 to barely 20 ft last year. It was almost dry in the summer.
BWSSB Agenda
To address the current water shortage and the looming threat of the near future, BWSSB has now come up with an array of long-term and short term projects. This, the Board believes, will help the City meet the water demand over the next 50 years. An expert committee set up by the State Government, with former BWSSB
Chairman, B N Thyagaraja as chairman, will work on these proposals.
Protection of indigenous water resources is high on Thyagaraja's agenda.
“River Arakavathi, which originates from Nandi Hills and river Kumudavathi from Shivaganga needs immediate attention by protecting and rejuvenating them for our water conservation. The Government must take stringent action against sand mining and unauthorised irrigation pump sets which is hampering the river catchment area,” Thyagaraja says.
Since Bangalore is landlocked and does not have any major river, its development would be restricted, warns Thyagaraja. For that not to happen, the Government had to wake up, for instance, to stop the indiscriminate sinking of borewells. Unlike in Tamil Nadu, which has adequate regulations, Karnataka does not have any law protecting the ground water.
The acute water crisis of 2010 was primarily because of this groundwater depletion. In many areas such as K R Puram and Mahadevapura, the groundwater has depleted to such alarming levels that not a drop could be found even at a depth of 1,000 ft. Incidentally, there are about 4,000 borewells dug by BWSSB and another 1,000 drilled by the BBMP.
Long-term plans
A dam with a capacity of 45 TMC near Mekedatu is a major part of BWSSB's long-term strategy to address the City's water shortage. Both the Karnataka and the Tamil Nadu governments along with the Centre are to be partners in this mega project.
Also on the agenda is a hydro power plant and to build a huge reservoir at the gauge-point where surplus water will be let out to Tamil Nadu.
The plan is to pump three to four tmc of water to Thorekadana Halli (TK Halli) which can be supplied to the City from 70 kms.
The ambitious-sounding project to draw water from river Krishna is another biggie on the BWSSB list.
The Board has plans to draw 12 tmc ft of water from Alamatti dam from a distance of 400 kms to be supplied to the City. However, this project has just been proposed as the expert committee is yet to meet to discuss the subject.
Expert panel chairman Thyagaraja has also suggested certain projects, which may not go well with the environmentalists. The proposal to draw 12 tmc ft of water in Gorur dam across river Hemavathi over a distance of 200 kms, would mean that has to pass through the Western Ghats.
There are also other contentious proposals such as the one to divert a part of water of west-flowing rivers such as Nethravathi and Kumaradhana to the east, for irrigation, industrial and drinking purposes. Water could be drawn from Nethravathi too for irrigation purpose through a canal form Tumkur.
Short-term plans
Curbing water leakage, which currently stands at a staggering 38 per cent, is one of BWSSB's immediate plans. Out of the 900 MLD water being pumped from river Cauvery, nearly 342 mld is being wasted through leakages, recorded as 'unaccounted for water' (UFW).
Comprehensive plans are being drawn up to reduce the UFW. Replacing the old corroded pipelines in many areas of the City is one measure to reduce leakages.
There are also 'leakage repair gangs' appointed to attend to complaints reported through the BWSSB Call centre line.
With amendment to the BWSSB Act on water theft and unauthorised sanitary connections, the Board is set to intensify its inspection of these connections.
Stringent action is planned against anyone found guilty of water pilferage. The maximum punishment can go up to three years of imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 5000.
BWSSB is also planning to increase the number of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and to distribute the treated water to the industrial areas. Thyagaraja has suggested a revival of the existing reservoir at Byramangala near Bidadi, where treated water from Vrishabhavathi valley flows.
The treated water can then be stored in the reservoir and used for irrigation purpose. The surplus of treated water from Bellandur and Varthur Lakes flows to a valley into Tamil Nadu. BWSSB has proposed a reservoir to cap the water before it enters Tamil Nadu. Getting the treated water back to the City is the plan.
In areas like K R Puram and Mahadevapura, the groundwater has depleted
to such alarming levels that not a drop could be found even at a depth of 1,000 ft.