Mega projects flood dry areas

Mega projects flood dry areas
Govt Unfazed By Lack Of Water, Clears IT/BT Parks, Townships
S Kushala | TNN

Bangalore: Bangalore East has been designated a parched area by the mines and geology department what with the water table depleting to alarming levels. But this has not deterred the state government from clearing IT-residential integrated projects over thousands of acres in this part of the town, though it doesn’t have a proper water source.
Sample this: An integrated township, with IT park, residential and commercial space on 266.63 acres at Gunjur, Panathur and Balagere villages in Varthur hobli, has been planned by a private developer. The water source shown in the project proposal is: borewell and BWSSB (only for potable use).
In the same hobli, another integrated township consisting of IT/BT/ITes, commercial and residential units has been cleared on 330 acres, 29 guntas. Here too, the water source is ‘borewell and other means’.
The statistics are telling: the high-level committee of the state government, which clears projects of a massive scale, approved 37 projects across the state, the majority of them in Bangalore. Of the 5,101 acres cleared, 4,625 acres are in Bangalore of which 2,642 acres are in Bangalore East taluk.
While areas in Bangalore East have been declared a dry zone, the committee has overlooked the water source aspect and cleared the projects. As a rule, the developer has to show the water source while submitting the project report and this is the explanation — “rainwater harvesting, borewell, waste water recycling, BWSSB and other means’’.
Despite making it mandatory to recycle sewage and reuse the treated water, the concept has not caught on in Bangalore, even as rainwater harvesting also remains on paper. The borewell is the most sought after source, but since the groundwater table in Bangalore East areas has sunk to nearly 800 feet, this option too is unviable.
The BWSSB, which now has to supply Cauvery water to 741 sq km, does not have adequate water for the new areas. As a result, only 73 of the 300-odd wards in old CMC/TMCs and 110 villages get drinking water. For the rest, the BWSSB will have to wait for the next phase of the Cauvery project to bring in 500 MLD.
“Looking at the current demand, it’s definitely not feasible to supply water to upcoming projects of such a massive scale when we are not even able to supply to existing areas under Greater Bangalore. As a formality, the BWSSB’s concurrence is taken before approving major projects. But we cannot divert potable water, cutting into the city needs. We may supply treated water to them, but most developers don’t agree to this,’’ explained BWSSB officials.
Shockingly, BWSSB hasn’t put its foot down either. From April 2007 to March end, it has given an NoC to 228 projects, thus committing to provide 32 MLD of water.
As a rule, while civic stakeholders have to provide necessary infrastructure, water is one natural resource that cannot be purchased. “Clearing projects without water supply source is irrational. Without water, how can such projects be even planned when borewells are drying up? In the past, we rejected some projects in the Devanahalli area as there was no proper water supply source. This time too, we will not approve these projects in a hurry,” said Karnataka State Pollution Control Board chairman H C Sharatchandra.
Source of the problem
Projects — Infotech, bioinformatics park, residential condominium, integrated life sciences park, integrated township comprising IT park, residential and commercial space, ITES park, biotech SEZ
Location — Concentrated in Varthur hobli, KR Puram hobli and Begur hobli in Bangalore East taluk; Yelahanka hobli and Jala hobli in Bangalore North taluk
Area — From 17 acres to 330 acres