Enough water in Cauvery, but not a drop for 110 villages

Sufficient Cauvery water is said to be available for supply to the City dwellers, but people in 110 villages that were added to Bengaluru in 2007 are still reeling under shortage of water. Their problems may get worse as summer sets in.

Unlike certain areas that were added to Bengaluru to form the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), these villages do not have any infrastructure for water supply or sanitation, making them completely dependent on borewells. The villages are located on the periphery of the seven City Municipal Councils (CMCs)—KR Puram, Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli, Byatarayanapura, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Yelahanka and Bommanahalli—and one Town Municipal Council, Kengeri. The local bodies were also added to Bengaluru in 2007.

Anjaneya, a resident of Horamavu, off KR Puram, says right now they are just about managing to extract water through the existing borewells. The real crisis will begin as summer sets in. “We were getting some water through borewells, but that is also depleting now. We have no idea who is supplying water through tankers and where is it coming from as there is no regular supply,” he said. “We don’t know how will we get water in the next three months.”

Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition on the lack of water supply to the 110 villages, the High Court had directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) as well as the BBMP to supply water to the people who were getting contaminated water. But on enquiry, a senior official in the BWSSB said their work was only to repair the dysfunctional borewells and supply drinking water to about 30 locations every three days. The official stated that cauvery water was not being supplied to these areas regularly. The BBMP, on its part, is only monitoring the borewells. The official, however, stressed that the BWSSB was ready to supply water through tankers if the BBMP approached it.

But BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana insisted that the Palike was supplying water to the 110 villagers through tankers by making use of known water sources, including the BWSSB. According to him, the BBMP is planning to set up Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants to purify water and supply to the people.

“After the High Court directed us to supply water, we have decided to set up at least 25 RO plants. We are aware about the possible water crisis in the summer. We are in the process of augmenting the existing water supply,” the commissioner added.