10 wards to get water 24x7 in pilot project

10 wards to get water 24x7 in pilot project

BWSSB will give incentives to consumers going in for rainwater harvesting system and be guarantor for those who want to avail loans for this. To help people in summer, it will also reimburse the money they spend on tanker water

SENTHALIR S. Bangalore



As mercury goes up and people are struggling for drinking water, here is a piece of good news for them. In an attempt to provide uninterrupted supply of water to all city wards by 2013, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is taking up 10 wards for a pilot project .
"The 10 model wards will get water 24x7. The project will begin in August end and be implemented by December end. However, there will be no free water supply to the slums. Water will be supplied to them at a cheaper rate," said BWSSB minister Katta Subramanya Naidu.
The wards that have been chosen as model wards are Sanjaynagar, Aramane Nagar, Vasanthnagar, Jayanagar, Rajajinagar, BTM Layout, Gandhinagar and Padmanabhanagar.
"We have randomly chosen the wards. By 2013, all the 198 wards will be supplied water 24x7," he said.
In order to quench the thirst of Bangaloreans, the minister said that within three years, 15 tmc of additional water would be generated from different sources in the state to the city. Besides, 10 tmc of water would be preserved through rainwater harvesting.
"Reservoirs will be built in at least five to six places. Rainwater collected from the reservoirs will be treated and supplied to households. Preservation of 50% of rainwater will help in supplying water to 33% of the population," he said.
Naidu said incentives would be provided for those going in for rainwater harvesting. "Some percentage of their water bill will be reduced for use of rainwater harvesting," he said.
However, he refused to explain what the incentives would be.
In order to encourage people to preserve rainwater, a 60-day campaign will be carried out throughout the city. The campaign will begin after April 12.
"This decision has been taken after consultations with experts on Wednesday," he said.
Besides, the BWSSB will be guarantor for those who want to avail loan for rainwater harvesting. "People can avail loan from Rs20,000 to Rs25,000. This week, the issue will be discussed and implemented soon." he said.
To help people in summer, the BWSSB will reimburse the money they spend on tanker water. "People can avail the bill from the BWSSB. The water board will pay even for those who are drilling borewells," he said.
Cauvery IV stage II phase
Inspecting the works on Cauvery IV stage II phase, the minister said that the project would be ready by December 2011. "However, we are confident that the work would be completed by October 2011," he said.
"The project will add 40% of water. An additional 500 mld of water will be supplied to the peripheral areas of the city. There are totally 13 packages and all the works are at different stages," he said.