Water crisis likely in summer, govt to tap KRS dead storage

Bengaluru is likely to face water scarcity in the summer as the live storage at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) will last for only two months.

Aware of the grim reality, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) are considering installing special high-tech pumps to draw water from the dead storage if the city’s demand goes beyond 1,350 million litres per day (mld). The two agencies are in talks with the state government to procure the high-tech pumps. The dead storage means water which cannot be tapped through gravity. At the KRS, the dead storage is 4.4 tmcft.

For its part, the state government has approached the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) seeking permission to tap water from the dead storage. The committee’s approval is mandatory for drawing from the dead storage, a CNNL official said.

BWSSB engineer Amarnath said the live storage at the KRS would last for only two months. “Thereafter, we will have to use water from the dead storage. Talks are also going on how to shift the river’s catchment area,” he added.  According to the BWSSB’s engineering wing, Bengaluru is allocated 600 cusec (cubic feet per second) from the KRS, which is equal to 1.58 tmcft per month or 19 tmcft per year. As per the CNNL website, the live storage at the KRS on January 23, 2017, was 6.058 tmcft. The water is supplied to Bengaluru, Mandya and Mysuru. Bengaluru is completely dependent on the KRS water.

BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath confirmed to DH the plans to pump water from the dead storage and said the board had also prepared tenders to sink 300 borewells in addition to the 8,000 existing and functional borewells in the city.

Speaking to DH, Shanburama Subramanyam, additional director (ground water), Department of Mines and Geology, referred to a government order of January 7, 2015, that states that permission cannot be given for private borewells in the city.

But the government can dig borewells. She said the ground water table was fast depleting in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts because of overexploitation. The ground water level has already plunged to 1,000-1,200 feet.
DH News Service

 Live storage will last for only 2 months; BWSSB to sink 300 borewells

Connect all catchments of lakes in Bengaluru, desilt them and instal sewage treatment plants (STPs) to recharge ground water, fill the lakes and use them to meet ward-wise needs
Promote rainwater harvesting and dual water piping systems in townships and new layouts.
Connect the newly added CMC and TMC areas with Cauvery pipelines.
Bring water from TG Halli to Bengaluru. 

Live storage: 6.058 tmcft
Dead storage: 4.4 tmcft
Total Storage: 10.458 tmcft
Total allocation for Bengaluru per year: 19 tmcft
B’luru needs 1,350 mld
tmcft is equal to
28,000 mld