Those who have Cauvery water connections will likely not have any water issues this summer. There won’t be supply cuts like last summer, says BWSSB Chairman.
| Photo Credit: file photo
“We are almost fully dependent on water tankers, and the borewell we have is of little help during the summer. Groundwater levels are projected to decline further this time as well. After the ordeal of 2024, we did not want to take any chances and applied for a Cauvery water connection last month. We will get it by the time summer peaks,” said Ashok K.H., president of the residents’ association of Sobha Forest Edge apartment complex, off Kanakapura Road.
Though the initial response to the Cauvery V Stage was lukewarm, with summer approaching, demand has surged. “The response to our campaign is very good. The number of applications has increased dramatically,” said V. Ram Prasath Manohar, Chairman, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
Data shows that in 2024, the Board received 58,543 applications and provided 38,013 new connections, earning a revenue of ₹887.82 crore. Work on providing connections to the remaining approximately 20,000 applicants is under way. Most of these applications came after October 16, 2024, when Cauvery V Stage, for which the Board had taken a loan of ₹5,500 crore, was commissioned. Before this, 55,000 residents had received connections.
“The monsoons in 2024 were good, unlike in 2023. Water availability in the Cauvery basin is good, and we will be able to draw the 2,220 MLD assigned to us, including from Cauvery V Stage, if needed. However, demand from Cauvery V Stage is not yet at full capacity. Those who have Cauvery water connections will likely not have any water issues this summer. There won’t be supply cuts like last summer. But those dependent on groundwater will feel the pinch,” Mr. Manohar said, appealing to residents in 110 villages to avail themselves of connections immediately.
A recent study by the Indian Institute of Science has predicted that groundwater levels will deplete by up to 20-25 metres in 110 villages that have been dependent on groundwater for decades, and Cauvery V Stage is all set to serve these areas by March-April 2025.
Legal options
Following instructions by Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar, BWSSB is exploring legal options to make availing Cauvery V Stage connections mandatory for apartment complexes. “We feel this can be done legally to avoid overexploitation of the underground water table. We will soon submit a proposal to the state government,” Mr. Manohar said.
Eight villages yet to get network
Eight of the 110 villages — four villages around Kadugodi in the east and four villages around Chokkanahalli in the north — are yet to get water supply networks. “We need land to build ground-level reservoirs (GLRs) in these villages, which has run into a legal dispute, and the case is pending in court. Without a GLR, we cannot provide water supply,” said Mr. Manohar.
Cauvery Connect Centres
BWSSB will set up 10 large temporary tanks filled with Cauvery river water, called Cauvery Connect Centres, to cater to pockets that are not yet serviced by Cauvery river water. These include the eight villages yet to get water supply networks and certain other pockets within the city. People can buy Cauvery river water from these centers at a cost of ₹90/kilolitre. However, residents have to arrange their own transport.
“One such temporary metal tank of 75,000 litre capacity was set up in Varthur, one of the eight villages yet to get a water supply network, last year and now the project is being expanded to ten other centres,” said Jagadish Reddy, a resident of Varthur. However, he added that the centre hadn’t served local residents much as they did not find means to transport the water to their homes. “Only some big apartments have benefitted from the Centre,” he said.
The Board will also set up smaller plastic tanks in the slum pockets of the city and refill them with Cauvery river water regularly, an initiative that began in the summer of 2024 and became popular.
Ramesh Reddy, a water tanker businessman in Doddanekkundi, said that the demand for water tankers was almost non-existent and they don’t foresee prices shooting up like the summer of 2024 this year. The price of a tanker load of 12,000 litres is being sold at ₹1,200.
Published – February 07, 2025 06:30 am IST
