BBMP washes its hands off water crisis

No wonder the civic agencies have not formulated a comprehensive policy to tackle the issue so far.

Even as the City grapples with shortage of potable water, the BBMP has washed its hands of by stating that providing water to the City was not its responsibility.

As a separate Board has been constituted to ensure water supply and sanitary connections in the City, the onus of providing water does not lie on the Palike, the BBMP stated.

The Palike can only assist the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in generating more avenues for water generation through its assets but cannot play a role in policy formation, the BBMP officials said.

“It is the responsibility of the BWSSB to design a policy to address the water supply issue in the City,” said BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah.

Long-term strategy

Moreover, the Palike cannot develop a long-term strategy to tackle the water crisis in the City, as its coffers are empty, said sources in the BBMP.

In order to address the water shortage in the City a minimum of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore is required, the officials said.

“The burden cannot be borne by us considering the financial crisis that we are in,” said a Palike official.

According to the BBMP officials, at present it can only cater to short-term problems by supplying water through tankers or sink borewells with their funds.

As the BWSSB holds the key to water supply in the City, they should lay more thrust on tackling the water woes that have proved to be a bane to the people, reiterated the Palike.

“We can help the citizens tide over the crisis over the next two months and hope that the situation would brighten up with the onset of the monsoon. The rest is up to the BWSSB,” said a BBMP official.

The BWSSB is largely dependent on the arrival of Cauvery IV Stage II Phase to the City, for easing the water situation.

Repeated appeals to the citizenry to install rainwater harvesting system to conserve water have not received positive response.

The Water Board despite its best efforts has failed in providing relief to the people in the long run.