Water scarcity is opportunity for some
Profiteering nexus
Contrary to claims by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) that the supply of Cauvery water to the City’s parched areas is free of cost, a clandestine network of private water tanker owners and some BBMP corporators are making a killing selling ''free'' water. All this at a time when Bangaloreans are reeling under an acute water shortage.
Water-starved residents across the City are complaining about some corporators calling the shots when it comes to the supply of water. Confirming the malpractice, a top BWSSB officer said on condition of anonymity that his agency has “received several complaints that valvemen are conniving with some corporators in supplying borewell water” and that “in many areas borewell metres have been removed or not repaired in time, forcing people to buy water from tankers owned by BBMP corporators”.
Such is the scale of the deprivation that recently hapless residents of Hongasandra took to the streets against the BWSSB and the local corporator for their failure to regularise water distribution and for selling water meant to people who paid for it.
Bommanahalli Block Congress Samiti President C Nagabhushan Reddy alleged that the supply of water “has turned into big business” for some vested interests. “The BWSSB pays a certain amount of money to owners of private water tankers, who are in turn supposed to supply water free of cost to consumers. However, the tanker owners are selling water at Rs 300 to Rs 400 per tank to those who can afford. People pay Rs 3 to Rs 5 per pot of drinking water in this constituency,” Reddy said.
When asked about the operations of the nexus, BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief T Venkataraju said there was a need to create awareness among the public not to purchase water that is meant for free-of-cost distribution.
“Tanker owners in Hongasandra say they sell borewell water. We pay Rs 1,650 per day
to tanker owners, so consumers need not pay for water from tankers which supply free water,” Venkataraju said.
He added that “since the tanker owners operate privately, we do not have any rules to take any action against them. We are hopelessly dependent on private tankers since there were no takers for our tenders.”
Currently, BWSSB has tied up with 84 private tanker owners. But, with an urgent need for 80 additional tankers to supply water to different parts of the City, BWSSB has decided to seek more funds from the BBMP to buy water tankers.
A BWSSB officer said the civic body “has allotted Rs 5 crore, but we need at least
Rs 7.7 crore to purchase 62 tankers at a cost of Rs 12.5 lakh each”.
As part of an awareness campaign, BWSSB will put up banners across the Bangalore to drive home the message that consumers need not cough up money for water they should be getting free of cost. The board has also sought police protection when ever water is distributed to avoid untoward incidents like the one at Vidyaranyapura where a water inspector was beaten up by enraged residents.
