Jakkur: Regular drinking water supply is a pipe dream

Janaspandana: Jakkur residents complain about water supply, defunct streetlights, poor garbage disposal

Local residents at the event. DH PHOTO/RANJU P

Residents of areas under the Jakkur ward have been concerned about the poor water supply for the past two years.

At Janaspandana, a civic grievance redress programme organised by DH and Prajavani on Saturday, they said water supply wasn’t a problem for 20 years but is erratic in the last couple of years.

Areas falling under the ward include Agrahara Dasarahalli, Vinayaka Nagar, Dwaraka Nagar, Kogilu, Kattigenahalli, Nisarga Layout and Palanahalli.

Although the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has already laid the pipeline for Cauvery water supply, getting regular drinking water remains a pipe dream for the residents.

“People will get regular Cauvery water by next March,” ward corporator and ruling party leader in the BBMP council, said K A Munindra Kumar, responding to residents’ complaints.

“Just a few years ago, there were about 6,200 houses in the ward and there was no problem supplying water. The increase in the number of houses in the area over the last few years has increased the demand for water,” he said.

The corporator added that overexploitation of groundwater had exacerbated the situation. “There is no water even at the depth of 1,300 feet,” he said. “In the last 90 days, we have drilled about 83 borewells, of which only single-digit borewells have yielded water.”

Residents also complained about malfunctioning streetlights that pose a serious threat to the safety of women and children. Many said several bars have come up in the area, luring miscreants who create trouble by misbehaving with women.

Addressing the concerns, a Bescom official said: “A global tender work has been awarded to replace the city’s streetlights to LED bulbs. Until the bulbs are replaced, it will not be possible to instal the street bulbs.”