Though there is no shortage in supply of Cauvery water to the city, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) has decided to release Cauvery water only once a week to some areas in the city.
According to BWSSB officials, 70 per cent of Cauvery water is getting wasted in the city due to unauthorised connections. Following this, BWSSB has decided to release water once a week in areas like Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Mahadevapura, KR Puram, Byatarayanapuara and Dasarahalli.
Speaking to Express, T Venkataraju, Chief Engineer, BWSSB, said, “We are changing the water schedule in areas where there are illegal connections. Due to such connections, water is getting wasted and we are incurring losses.”
As per the regular schedule, Cauvery water is supplied thrice a week. The problem of wastage of water is mostly in areas which were earlier under City Municipal Corporations. “As they are getting CMC water also, people are not bothered about getting meters fixed for Cauvery water connections and let the water flow into drain or use it to water the gardens,” says Venkataraju. Due to this, BWSSB cannot keep track of the exact quantity of water people of the city use on a regular basis, he added.
Poornima Venkatesh, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said, “Last week, we did not get Cauvery water for a week. When we enquired, the authorities said that henceforth, water will be supplied once a week. How can they do this? we have fixed the meter and are also paying the bills regularly. Why should all be punished for a few people’s mistake?”
“When the authorities are aware of illegal connections, let them disconnect such lines instead of restricting water supply,” says Ambika from KR Puram.
‘Distraction’ Drive
The BWSSB has decided to conduct a ‘distraction drive’ of CMC borewell points from May 1. According to BWSSB, there are 70,000 to 80,000 borewell points across the city where there are Cauvery pipelines and to shut them, BWSSB will have to spend about `2,000 per point. “Though this will be a burden on BWSSB, we need to do it to avoid wastage of Cauvery water and to stop unauthorised connections,” explained Venkataraju.