RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘bangalore water’

Scene very grim, Groundwater levels falling

12 Jan

The city is facing shortage of water of 225 million liters of water per day. The groundwater levels are falling sharply and natural aquifers are drying.

Despite the exploding growth and spread of the city, to get even a basic need like water is a struggle. The city is facing a shortage of 225 million liters of water per day (MLD). While the demand is 1,125 MLD, the supply stands at 900 MLD. Around 20% to 25% of the population in the newly added areas depend solely on groundwater.

The groundwater levels are falling sharply and natural aquifers are drying. The large expanses of  Sarjapur, Electronic city and Bannerghatta Road that offer plush residential facilities to a major population of techies depend almost completely on groundwater.

The compulsory rainwater harvesting law also lost steam. The last date for the implementation of all eligible houses was May 2010. However, since people needed more time, it was extended. There is no fresh deadline.

The Cauvery 4th Stage, 2nd phase project that is supposed to bring extra 500 MLD of water will kick-start only in 2012. But experts feel that it is only a temporary solution

More News

Times of India

 
No Comments

Posted in News

 

Private water tanker service taking advantage of water scarcity

22 May

Most of the apartment complexes on Sarjapur Road, Bellandur junction area, Bannerghatta Road, Whitefield and Marathalli have no proper water connections and they depend on borewells and private water suppliers. Since these borewells have gone dry, private water tanker service hike up their prices. “The water tankers charge anything between Rs 450 and Rs 600 for one load of water supply. Also they hike up their prices when there is huge demand and this is unfair. The BWSSB has to do something about this, the water mafia is growing and it needs to be checked,” Said Vishwanath, a resident of Sunshine valley, Sarjapur Road.



“Most of the water tankers get water from borewells. As you go deeper, the quality of water also depletes. It should be made mandatory that the water tankers get a no-objection certificate from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) before supplying water to anybody,” said Environmentalist Yellappa Reddy.

With BWSSB not doing much about it,the residents and the management of the complexes have turned to private water suppliers. The private water suppliers hike up their prices when there is huge demand. The flourishing water supply business has also led to the indiscriminate drilling of borewells which contributes to the groundwater depletion. Drilling of borewells deeper has led to depletion of the quality of water in this areas.

“Dual water supply schemes, conservative measures and law enforcement in relation to ground water harvesting or storm water drains should be put in place. Public-private participation is the need of the hour,” Adds Vishwanath.



 
No Comments

Posted in News

 

Good News for Bangalore BWSSB Consumers

13 May

There is good news for Bangaloreans. First, your water bills will not go up at least till summer is over.  Second, the BWSSB has extended Rainwater Harvesting deadline by two months. Thrid, government intends to solve Bangalore’s water supply problems once and for all — at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.

The proposed hike in water tariff postponed till summer is over. Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in-charge minister Katta Subramanya Naidu on Wednesday said  “With the city facing shortage of water, we have postponed the move to hike the water tariff. We are now looking at implementing the hike only after monsoon sets in. After summer, you can expect hike in water tariff.”




The BWSSB has extended deadline for installation Rainwater Harvesting from May 27 by two months. The decision to extend the deadline for rainwater harvesting came after there were demands from residents to give them some more time to install the system. Stating that harvesting rainwater would be the best solution to mitigate water shortage in Bangalore, Katta said that recycled rainwater would be supplied to the city. All houses measuring over 60×40 ft were told to compulsorily install the equipment to save rainwater. “At least 25,000 houses in the city have installed rainwater harvesting,” Katta said.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is mulling over a project worth Rs 12,000 crore to solve the city’s sanitation worries and provide uninterrupted water. ” All these projects are part of the ‘Long Term Action Plan’ and would be completed in three years.  To implement this plan, BWSSB plans to create six artificial lakes — two in Vrushabavathi Valley, two in Bellandur valley, one in Anekal and one in Hoskote. “Each lake will be developed in 1,300 acres. These projects will enable BWSSB to meet the water needs of the city for another 50 years “said Katta Subramanya Naidu on Wednesday.

“Each lake will be developed in 1,300 acres. The estimated cost for the project is Rs 4,500 crore. Besides, the existing 135 lakes will also be used for this. Rainwater will be collected in the lakes and supplied to the city,” he said. Naidu added that the officials concerned have been directed to lay dual pipelines to supply treated sewage water for non-potable use.

Around 20 sewage treatment plants would be constructed at the cost of Rs 1,000 crore and around 900 MLD of water can be generated by treating sewage,” Naidu said.Eight ground-level reservoirs will be constructed around the city at the cost of Rs 200 crore. “These reservoirs will help store 2,500 million litres of water in the city. They will help supply water for two consecutive days, during emergencies,” he said. Naidu added that the officials concerned have been directed to lay dual pipelines to supply treated sewage water for non-potable use.



 
2 Comments

Posted in News

 

Bangalore taps have been dry for a week

20 Apr

While some parts of an area got a small dribble of water on Monday, others were completely dry. “There are 6 lakh BWWSB consumers. Almost 5 lakh houses got water supply by Monday afternoon, either by tankers or through pipes. But, it’ll take a week before we return to the normal schedule,” said T Venkataraju, chief engineer, BWSSB. Many areas in BTM Layout and Tavarakere haven’t had a single drop of water for a week. Some blocks of Jayanagar too didn’t receive the regular supply.



“We had water every day till the elections. Now, it’s over a week that we haven’t got water. The corporator in this area is getting water. Why not us?” asked K Peter, a resident of Indiranagar. “The water was muddy and not potable. I don’t know why they even bothered to give that. The pressure was low. We got only 700 litres instead of the usual 1,400 litres,” said Anil Kumar of Ejipura. “I called up a tanker service. He asked for Rs 2,500 for 7,000 litres — almost double the usual charge. It was too expensive for me,” said homemaker Meera. “We had no water for routine procedures like shampooing and hair wash which hit our business’’ said a beautician in Cambridge Layout.

The BWSSB was forced to ration the supply, given the depleting reserves. “All parts of Bangalore don’t get water on the same day. There is a distribution schedule. This time, the repair work had dry days for all parts of the city. So, the first few days will always see such a difference. We have arranged the supply in three to four schedules,’’  T Venkataraju, chief engineer explained.

 
No Comments

Posted in News