Not enough sewage from Bengaluru for treatment: Minister

The government told the Assembly on Tuesday that there isn’t enough sewage being generated in Bengaluru to be treated and fill up lakes in the city’s parched neighbourhood.

Minor Irrigation Minister J C Madhuswamy was responding to a question on the Hebbal-Nagawara (HN) valley project, of filling up 65 lakes in the arid taluks of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Chikkaballapur districts by subjecting Bengaluru’s sewage to secondary treatment.

The minister said this project is not going as per plan because of a shortfall in sewage water.

“The BWSSB is supposed to give us 210 MLD of sewage, but only 90 MLD has been made available,” Madhuswamy said.

“We are unable to fill up lakes as envisaged. If we get sewage, we will supply the water to the lakes,” he said.

Similarly, the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley project aims to fill up lakes in Kolar and Chikkaballapur by treating 400 MLD of Bengaluru’s sewage.

“We aren’t able to generate the required 400-odd MLD sewage from Bengaluru. We’re able to treat 290-330 MLD sewage,” Madhuswamy said.

“Somehow, we’re unable to pool in and use Bengaluru’s sewage. Even now, it is flowing into drainage and getting wasted.”

Former speaker K R Ramesh Kumar blamed the BWSSB for failing to provide the quantity of sewage required.

“If you don’t handle this octopus (BWSSB), there’s no way you can ensure the supply of sewage to the subjectment of secondary treatment. Unless that’s done, how can you provide water? Why aren’t we finding sewage? Has Bengaluru’s population or water consumption decreased?” he said.

Madhuswamy said the BWSSB gave an “endorsement” that it cannot supply more sewage, which angered Kumar.

“Wasn’t BWSSB consulted when the project was planned?” he thundered.

Gauribidanur MLA N H Shivashankara Reddy suggested making use of rainwater, while Kolar’s K Srinivasa Gowda said secondary-treated sewage should be allowed for human consumption.

“I drank the Narsapura lake water and I’m not dead. It’s potable,” Gowda said.

Madhuswamy rejected both suggestions. “We can’t mix rainwater and sewage. And, only tertiary-treated sewage is fit for drinking as per law,” he said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai intervened and said there is a need to revisit the sewage treatment process itself.

“I will hold a special meeting with BWSSB to take a critical look at its performance on this front. I will do justice to Kolar and Chikkaballapur,”
he said.