BWSSB seeks Rs 1,886 cr for water, sewage plan for 110 villages

Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board has sought Rs 1,886 crore from the government to provide water supply infrastructure in the 110 villages added to the BBMP in 2007.

These villages continue to depend on the borewell water. BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath said: “We had a meeting with the Finance and Urban Development Departments to discuss possible options to speed up the Cauvery V Stage Scheme and the water and sanitary infrastructure project in the 110 villages. The proposals, which includes a grant of Rs 1,886 crore, have been forwarded to the state government. This is likely to come up at the next Cabinet meeting.”

Earlier, the BWSSB had approached Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a loan of about Rs 5,000 crore to provide water supply and sanitary infrastructure in these newly developed areas. JICA had rejected BWSSB’s first proposal as the detailed project report (DPR) did not show the ‘source of water’ that is required for the 110 villages. Hence, the board had to re-work on the proposal, which JICA has taken up for review.

The 110 villages come under five zones. They are: Byatarayanpura, Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli, Rajarajeshwarinagar and Dasarahalli. A senior BWSSB official said it would take at least two years to start civil work related to water supply pipelines, if the board continues to depend on JICA funding. “The board has Rs 300 crore, which has been collected as Beneficiary Capital Contribution Receipt under Greater Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Project (GBWASP). Besides, we have sought Rs 1,586 crore from the state government. We could use this money to lay infrastructure in places where there is a severe problem,” he said.

The official also said the board can rely on JICA to take up the fifth stage of the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme, which aims to fetch additional water from River Cauvery as well as for laying of sanitary lines in the 110 villages.