As early as 1881, Sampangi and three Miller’s tanks were the chief sources of water for the Civil and Military Stations. In 1896, a special scheme of protected drinking water supply commenced under the guidance of Dewan K Sheshadri Iyer.
While people residing in the limits of the Bangalore City Municipality were levied three per cent-four per cent water tax, buildings and lands used for military purpose were exempted.
The Government of Madras had offered Rs 1,000 for the best essay outlining a water supply in 1886. General Sankey’s project (1897) carried out at a cost of Rs 5.50 lakh to find a pure source of water failed.
Earlier, General Fischer and J W Flayees (Municipal Commissioners of Cantonment) had prepared an outline of Hebbal Scheme, supplying water from Arkavati at a cost of Rs 6 lakh in 1888.
In early 1890s the British were looking for a new source of water supply and Major Grant worked at four sources – Maligal Valley, Hebbal, Rachenahalli and Hessaraghatta – and M C Hutchin, the chief engineer of Mysore, preferred Hesaraghatta.
The management of water supply was found to be defective under the PWD and was handed over to the municipality in 1898 when waterpipes were first laid, beginning with those areas which were the sources of epidemic diseases.
Later on, the Hesaraghatta tank was built across the Arkavathi about 20 km to the north-west of Bangalore which was supplemented by the Kakol and Byatha tanks, 27 km from the City.
Additional water supply was from Yele Mallapa Shetty tank, 18 km from the City. The Hesaraghatta water supply scheme, known as Chamarajendra water works, started in 1894 and was designed for a population of 2.5 lakh at the rate of 55 litre per capita per day. Water was pumped into the City for the first time on June 23, 1896. The total cost of the completed project was Rs 20.78 lakh.
The cost of distribution of water per 1,000 gallon was 12 annas and nine pies. The number of private taps were 1,000.
In 1922, Hesaraghatta reservoir completely dried up and in 1925, in order to meet the scarcity problem, the government constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Sir M Visvesvaraya, which recommended the construction of a reservoir at Thippagondanahalli across Arkavathi. The reservoir, came into service on March 15, 1933, costing Rs 53.55 lakh and served Bangaloreans for a long time since then, like most things envisaged by Sir MV.
Public health and sanitation
Bye-laws insisting on daily conservancy were initiated between 1860-70. But it was corresponded that some privy pits were not cleared daily and that it was not common for people to let the excreta accumulate for months and sell it as manure.
By 1871, pit system of latrines was abolished and by 1898-99, after the visit of plague, some kind of modern drainage system was planned.
A kachara/sanitation tax of four annas was levied in 1871-72.
The plague had given rise to new areas like Basavanagudi and Malleswaram being created after many congested areas were cleared, roads broadened and open drains and major sewage carrier lines were laid.
In 1917, the first complete scheme for the (old) City drainage project was prepared by D Cruz at an estimated cost of Rs 19.08 lakh. And a decade later, an important work was carried out by covering the main drain in the market. On the advice of Sir M Visvesvaraya, it was decided to dispose of sewages from several valleys in their respective out falls.