7 of 110 villages to get Cauvery water first

After much dilly-dallying, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is readying to supply Cauvery water to 688 residents in seven of the 110 villages located on the city outskirts.

The residents –from Horamavu, Siddapura, Ramagondanahalli, Uttarahalli, Sonenahalli, Ganakallu and Herohalli-- have been receiving water on a trial basis for the past few weeks.

The Board has already installed water meters and issued RR numbers to 688 residents from Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwarinagara, Dasarahalli, Bytarayanapura and Bommanahalli zones who have paid their beneficiary capital contribution (BCC) charges towards new water connection.

A BWSSB engineer said water supply is delayed since the number of people opting for connections is less. “We can’t supply water to every household as we won’t have accountability. It’d also be tedious to first supply and regularize the connections later. Learning from the previous experience, we want to first ensure every resident has a metered connection and then supply water,” he added.

The engineer refers to the disastrous attempt by the Board to supply Cauvery IV stage II phase in 2012 to some areas of KR Puram and Mahadevapura without collecting BCC from the customers and had struggled to regularize the connections.

However, residents of the 110 villages are waiting for Cauvery water supply, like Sunanda living in Narayan Nagar near Doddakallasandra, off Kanakapura Main Road. “Hardness of the (ground) water meant we had to frequently service geysers and boilers, while separately buying drinking water. Once we receive Cauvery water, we hope we’ll have one supply for both portable and non-portable purposes,” she said.

Another BWSSB engineer doubted if residents would even opt for Cauvery connection as they use groundwater without much cost and will have to pay monthly charges to the Board if they opt for regular supply.

The Board itself is hoping that residents would opt for the connection and use the water legally.