While the BWSSB has been providing water supply to the core areas where the pipeline infrastructure is already in place, the BBMP has been drilling borewells in the outskirts.
Credit: DH FILE PHOTO
Bengaluru: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which is struggling to meet the city’s growing demand for Cauvery water, has received Rs 37.5 crore from the civic body to dig more borewells and repair ones that are dysfunctional.
This is in addition to Rs 32.60 crore that the BBMP wants to spend on similar work in different parts of the city.
While the BWSSB has been providing water supply to the core areas where the pipeline infrastructure is already in place, the BBMP has been drilling borewells in the outskirts to supply water.
Rs 37.5 crore has been provided to the BWSSB to drill borewells in the core areas where it is short-supplying Cauvery water.
Constituencies such as Hebbal, Sarvagnanagar, Pulakeshinagar, Gandhinagar, Govindarajanagar, BTM Layout, Padmanabhnagar, Jayanagar, Vijayanagar, Chickpet, Basavanagudi and RR Nagar have received between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore each.
Rs 32.60 cr
In 110 villages, the BBMP will be drilling borewells at a total cost of Rs 32.30 crore. Funds have been allocated to Yelahanka, Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, RR Nagar and Dasarahalli zones, creating infrastructure to supply water.
Experts say drilling borewells when the groundwater table is already at an all-time low is an ad hoc measure and these borewells will run out of water very soon. They suggested large-scale measures to refill the groundwater by sending treated water to lakes and digging open wells to harness rainwater.