'Poisoning our children': JD(S) MLA displays discoloured water bottle, triggers debate on KC Valley project

'All scientific parametres are being met. The IISc does tests every three months. Spreading political propaganda serves no public interest', Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda intervened.

Bengaluru: Mulbagal JD(S) MLA Samruddhi Manjunath on Tuesday displayed a bottle containing discoloured water, triggering a debate on the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley project of treating Bengaluru’s sewage to fill up tanks in Kolar and Chikkaballapur.

During Question Hour, Manjunath demanded tertiary treatment of water under the KC Valley project.

Minor Irrigation Minister NS Boseraju said that the project envisaged only secondary treatment to improve groundwater tables.

"Groundwater tables had plummeted 1,500 feet. Now, they’ve improved and water is available at 250-300 feet. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is giving us reports on the quality of water,” he said.

Displaying two bottles of water, Manjunath accused the Congress government of supplying bad water to Kolar and Chikkaballapur. “The bottle with clear water is Cauvery that (Deputy Chief Minister) DK Shivakumar gives Bengaluru. The other bottle is what we get,” he said. “You are poisoning our children.”

Intervening, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda slammed the JD(S) MLA for “political propaganda”. He said the government was ready to improve the project based on recommendations by “genuine” scientific institutions.

“In 2006, Kolar was promised Bhadra water, which never came. We’ve given a solution to address a dire situation,” Gowda said, adding that UN and World Bank chiefs had lauded the KC Valley project. “All scientific parametres are being met. The IISc does tests every three months. Spreading political propaganda serves no public interest,” he said.

Food & Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa, a former Kolar MP, urged the government to convene a meeting of lawmakers from Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts as well as experts from the IISc. “The project involves filling up tanks with secondary-treated water. For drinking water, tertiary treatment is required. In Israel, tertiary treatment is being done. For drinking water, the government is implementing the Yettinahole project and every village will be covered by 2027,” he said.