BENGALURU: After Cauvery, what? The state government is looking at other rivers to quench Bengaluru’s thirst. It proposes to get water from river Krishna, a good 500km away from Bengaluru, and river Sharavathi, some 370km away.
The water proposal will cover Kolar and Chikballapur too.
Bengaluru needs 1,300 million litres of water per day (MLD) and is largely dependent on Krishna Raja Sagar reservoir. Kolar needs 160 MLD and Chikballapur needs 150 MLD; both are largely dependent on groundwater. As per the norm, every citizen should get 150 litres of water per day (LPCD). But in Bengaluru, each person gets only around 70 LPCD. In Kolar and Chikballapur, people get 60 and 40 LPCD.
According to Water Resources Minister M B Patil, the ongoing Yettinahole project, where they are planning to draw water from Nethravathi river to Kolar and Chikballapur, will be unable to provide sufficient water. “We are checking the possibility of getting water from Sharavathi and Krishna rivers which can be supplied not just to Bengaluru but also to Kolar and Chikballapur,” he said.
Patil said that they are also planning to constitute an expert committee to look into this. The panel will have many experts including D N Desai, Principal Advisor to the Water Resources Department, hydrology experts and environmentalists. “We need to check for other resources. The committee will be constituted shortly and is expected to submit a report within six months,” he said. The state government is also checking the possibility of implementing the B N Thyagaraja committee report (former BWSSB chairperson) which stressed on reviving and restoring the existing lakes in Bengaluru.
The government is considering the Paramashivaiah report that suggested 334.7 tmcft of water be diverted from Arabian Sea to meet the needs of seven districts — Bengaluru (Urban), Bengaluru (Rural), Kolar, Tumakuru, Chikballapur, Ramanagara and parts of Mandya.
The Rivers
Kolar Wants Cauvery Water
Kolar Deputy Commissioner Dr K V Thrilok Chandra told Express that they have placed a proposal before the state government to extend Cauvery water supply to Kolar. “At present, Cauvery water is supplied till Hoskote. If the water supply is extended by 50 km, then entire Kolar can get water. We do not have any major water resources. The proposal is pending before the state government,” he said.
Chikballapur Seeks Lake Water
According to Dr M V Venkatesh, Chikballapur Deputy Commissioner, though the district is largely dependent on borewells, it also gets water from Jakkamagadu lake. “But this lake will be able to provide water only for another year, after which it will dry up completely,” he said. “There is a proposal to supply treated water from Nagawara and Hebbal lakes in Bengaluru to Chikballapur. This will be taken up by the Minor Irrigation Department and is in the tender stage,” he said.