Water supply to Bangalore to be augmented

Water supply to Bangalore to be augmented

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: An additional 500 million litres a day of Cauvery water will be supplied to Bangalore city from the second phase of the fourth stage of the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme, which will become operational 2011-12, Home Minister M.P. Prakash said on Tuesday.

Replying on behalf of the Chief Minister during question hour in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Prakash told Vatal Nagaraj (Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha) that the estimated cost of the second phase was Rs. 2,830.70 crore. The first phase of the fourth stage would be completed in September and it would augment water supply by 100 million litres a day. Bangalore had been getting drinking water from the Cauvery since 1974, he said.

Bangalore received 38 million litres of water daily from the Thippgondanahalli reservoir. An expert committee had been constituted to find out new water sources for the city.

R. Roshan Baig (Congress) said nearly 50 per cent of water drawn by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board went down the drain.

Leader of the Opposition N. Dharam Singh suggested that the Government constitute a metropolitan authority to coordinate the activities of various civic agencies to tackle infrastructure problems.