Panel to study proposal to draw water from Western Ghats rivers to Bengaluru

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is assessing the feasibility of getting water from Western Ghats rivers to quench the city’s thirst.

BWSSB has set up a special committee to assess proposals to get water from Western Ghat rivers — Sharavathi, Yettinahole and Netravathi. The committee is headed by BWSSB engineer Ravindra.

The city already gets 1,375 mld from Cauvery. BWSSB distributes water across 575 sqkm of the city at an average of 120 lpcd (litres per day per capita).

“There is no shortfall at present, but it will rise in the coming years and we are planning for 2050. The population will increase to 20.56 million and the city will need 4,100 MLD every day. The special committee is looking into the feasibility of the various proposals,” a senior BWSSB official said on condition of anonymity.

The committee is studying how to bring 10 tmcft water from Sharavathi to Thippagondanahalli via Hassan’s Yagachi dam.

Feasibility study

The ground realities are being assessed on how to get 122.08 tmcft water from Yettinahole to Bengaluru covering Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Hassan, Ramanagaram, Mandya and Bengaluru rural. The feasibility of getting 24.4 tmcft water from Netravathi to Bengaluru through Mangaluru is also being studied by the BWSSB team.

“Though there are difficulties, the government has announced these projects. We are now seeing how they can be implemented. For example, getting water from Sharavathi river is very difficult, but since the minister has announced it, we are working on it. Same is the case with Yettinahole. We see difficulties in implementing it, but assessment is still on,” the official added.

BWSSB officials point out that around 4,400 tmcft of river water flows into the Arabian Sea from all the west-flowing rivers which can be drawn to Bengaluru and other parched areas.

The officials also accept that recycling sewage water and storing rainwater are required for Bengaluru as the city has no rivers.

An ideal solution

“We are recycling sewage water, but at a slow pace. We can’t recycle all the sewage water as the downstream areas will go dry. Thus, getting water from various rivers seems an ideal solution,” the officials said.