<p>Bengaluru: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has drawn up an action plan to reduce Unaccounted for Water (UfW) in stages.</p>.<p>The project began in 2018 at a cost of Rs 600 crore and is now in its second phase, costing Rs 200 crore.</p>.<p>While officials agree UfW reduction has major benefits, they stress on phased implementation due to challenges on the ground.</p>.<p>BWSSB officials said financial burden is one factor, but the larger concern is public inconvenience caused by the work.</p>.Bengaluru | BWSSB revenue can rise by Rs 330 cr with fewer leaks: Study .<p>"Leakages in old pipes laid 40–50 years ago are major contributors to UfW. However, replacement of such pipes can only be taken up in a phased manner as majority of them are in core areas of the city and digging up to replace the pipelines will result in traffic snarls and cause public inconvenience,” said Ramprasat Manohar V, BWSSB Chairman.</p>.<p>There are nearly 3,000 km of old pipelines to be replaced. The board is prioritising areas with high leakage.</p>.<p>"We are also working closely with the city corporations to ensure that all white-topping roads have utility ducts on the side so that in future we will not have to dig up the roads to replace or repair water or sanitary pipelines,” Manohar added.</p>.<p><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></p>.<p>Officials are also exploring Artificial Intelligence to detect leakages and supply gaps.</p>.<p>“We have also cut down illegal connections and are forming a blue force to identify and prevent illegal connections,” Manohar said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has drawn up an action plan to reduce Unaccounted for Water (UfW) in stages.</p>.<p>The project began in 2018 at a cost of Rs 600 crore and is now in its second phase, costing Rs 200 crore.</p>.<p>While officials agree UfW reduction has major benefits, they stress on phased implementation due to challenges on the ground.</p>.<p>BWSSB officials said financial burden is one factor, but the larger concern is public inconvenience caused by the work.</p>.Bengaluru | BWSSB revenue can rise by Rs 330 cr with fewer leaks: Study .<p>"Leakages in old pipes laid 40–50 years ago are major contributors to UfW. However, replacement of such pipes can only be taken up in a phased manner as majority of them are in core areas of the city and digging up to replace the pipelines will result in traffic snarls and cause public inconvenience,” said Ramprasat Manohar V, BWSSB Chairman.</p>.<p>There are nearly 3,000 km of old pipelines to be replaced. The board is prioritising areas with high leakage.</p>.<p>"We are also working closely with the city corporations to ensure that all white-topping roads have utility ducts on the side so that in future we will not have to dig up the roads to replace or repair water or sanitary pipelines,” Manohar added.</p>.<p><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></p>.<p>Officials are also exploring Artificial Intelligence to detect leakages and supply gaps.</p>.<p>“We have also cut down illegal connections and are forming a blue force to identify and prevent illegal connections,” Manohar said.</p>