New wards facing water scarcity

New wards facing water scarcity

The Hindu

The Mayor has set May 10 as the deadline for the BWSSB to take remedial action


BANGALORE: Karim Khan, a tender coconut vendor in D.J. Halli, claims the area has not received proper water supply for the past 40 years. Pots of water are sold for Rs. 3 each in the area.

"This is not a new problem. I moved to D.J. Halli almost 40 years ago. The situation has not changed much since then," he told The Hindu on Friday.

A family of four or five persons is forced to buy at least five pots of water a day. "Most of our money goes towards buying water. Though the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has laid pipes here, there is no regular water supply," he said.

Munna Ram is a water bearer in the area. He collects water in pots and transports them on his bicycle from the Railway Gate, four km away. "I make at least five trips a day. At the end of the day, I am drained out after cycling with the heavy load. I collect water in 10 pots and sell it in the area," he said.

He also said that in D.J. Halli, there are at least 20 people, who make a livelihood by selling water. The situation in Idgah Mohalla is worse, he claims.

At a recent Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council meeting, Leader of the Opposition Nanjundappa raised the issue and said that the supply of water was poor in the 27 new wards. The Mayor then fixed May 10 as the deadline for the BWSSB to repair borewells, remove the pipes from the storm water drains and take out silt from the drains.

`No clear plan'

Mr. Nanjundappa, who is the corporator for Jalahalli, alleged that the BWSSB had no clear plan to solve the problem. "Though the BWSSB has laid the pipelines, there is no proper water supply in most of the new wards," he said. He also said that many of the complaints registered in the ward office were either about sanitary block or lack of water supply. "There is adequate storage in Singapura tank in Bangalore North. The BWSSB has not laid distribution lines. The water from the tank is not being utilised, though huge sums was spent to build the tank," he charged. To solve the problem, the BWSSB should not sanction new connections without making sure that there was adequate storage, he said. The leakages should be reduced from the present 40 per cent to at least 20 per cent. He also said that the fourth stage of the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme should be properly implemented.

Target set

N.C. Muniyappa, chairman of BWSSB, said that the problem had become acute, as new connections had been sanctioned though the volume of water supply had not increased. "I have directed the officials concerned to take the entire area into consideration and then take action. From what I have gathered, new pipelines have been laid in areas that are affected by acute water scarcity," he said.

Mr. Muniyappa said that the target had been set for officials to solve the problem. "All the problems will be solved before the onset of monsoon. The first and second phase of the BMP package with regard to water supply has been completed. Work under phase three is in progress," he said.

Mr. Muniyappa said that the only sure way of solving the problem is by revamping the entire distribution system. "We are looking at ways to improve the situation. However, revamping of the distribution system is the only permanent solution," he added.