Storage level low; City in for water shortage

Storage level low; City in for water shortage
By S Lalitha, DH News Service, Bangalore:
Water level at Thippagondanahalli reservoir has increased to 18 feet, an increase of just one foot following rains this week.

The minute raise though has brought some cheer to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, depleting water level in the reservoir has become a cause of concern for the officials.

Located nearly 40 km from the City, the reservoir gets water from rivers Arkavathi and Kumudvathi and supplies water to northern and western parts of Bangalore. The daily water requirement of the city is met with 40 million litres per day (MLD) pumped from Thippagondanahalli apart from the 870 MLD from Thoraikadanahalli.

Rajajinagar, some parts of Vijayanagar and Peenya in western Bangalore, Srirampura, Bhashyam park and parts of R T Nagar and Sanjay Nagar depend on TG Halli reservoir for water.

While the maximum storage capacity of the reservoir is 74 feet, the level mark has been hovering around 17 feet from August this year. “Nandi Hills, Tumkur, Nelamangala and Doddaballapur constitute catchment areas for the reservoir and hence the downpour in the city could not cast any impact on the water level in the reservoir” avers an official.

Officials here fear that the reservoir is likely to dry up as years go by.

“We are regularly pumping water ranging between 35 and 50 MLD to the City and are aware that the water level in the reservoir is reducing with each passing day,” a top official said.

If the reservoir gets empty some years down the line, the shortage may have to be met out of 870 MLD Cauvery water from T K Halli. Even if 20 MLD gets diverted, then this could have a impact on the water supplied to the entire City.

“It had its best phase during the end of 1993 and beginning of 1994 when the heavy downpour in its catchment area ensured the reservoir had water upto its brim. In 1998, it touched upto 72 feet.”

The City has been emptying the reservoir of its water since then. When asked about the chances of the improvement in the storage level, a top source said, “We can only hope that God sends heavy downpours regularly to the catchment areas.”