Power supply trips water bounty

Power supply trips water bounty
Deccan Herald

Over the last week, households across the city – from Indiranagar to RT Nagar to Dollars Colony to Rajajinagar to Banashankari – noticed a significant drop in the pressure of water flow besides irregularity in supply.

Water – they have it. In fact, in plenty. Yet, why is the flow in our taps waning?

Over the last week, households across the city – from Indiranagar to RT Nagar to Dollars Colony to Rajajinagar to Banashankari – noticed a significant drop in the pressure of water flow besides irregularity in supply. The development comes hardly three weeks after the assurance from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) that the drinking water forecast for summer is at “a satisfactory position”. Sufficient levels of flow and storage were recorded at the reservoirs, it had said.

Is there a contradiction?

Yes and no: There is reportedly enough water but no “quality” power to pump it!

With the soaring temperature, the peak hour power requirement in the State has increased to 120-127 million units per day. Consequently, the frequency level of the power supply is dropping, rendering it difficult to provide power to pumping stations at the required optimum frequency (50 hertz/ second), KPTCL sources said.

Power supply to the pumping stations should be in the frequency of 50 hertz per second if water supply to the tune of 810 mld (million litres per day) is to be ensured for the City, noted BWSSB Chairman Ashok Kumar Manoli. At even a drop of just three points in the frequency – say from 50 hertz per second to 47 hertz per second – the quantity of water pumped drops by almost 20 to 30 per cent, he said. The disruption might be just for 15-30 minutes, but it takes a while for the pumping pressure to build up after every disruption, Mr Manoli said.

“We are in touch with KPTCL, we are also re-working our distribution network so that there is balance in the supply to all the divisions,” he said.

According to BWSSB’s own assessment, its East and North Divisions were the most affected last week. The areas under them include R T Nagar, Sanjaynagar, Srirampura, Malleshwaram, Indiranagar, Jeevanbheemanagar etc.

Meanwhile, technical snags have also been reported due to the overloading of power network linking the BWSSB pumping stations.

Separate electricity feeders are provided for the BWSSB’s pumping stations at the reservoirs to ensure optimum frequency. But a certain quantum of power is drawn directly from the KPTCL’s regular transformer centre which also caters to irrigation pumpsets in rural areas. As the IP sets work overtime during summer to protect standing crops, the system gets overloaded leading to the drop in frequency, sources said.

WATERED DOWN

* Drop in quantity of water pumped by 20 to 30 per cent due to fall in power supply.

* On a normal day: Total 180 MLD from Harohalli, Torekadanahalli and Tataguni reservoirs.

* An additional 100 MLD from TG Halli reservoir till the storage lasts.