BENGALURU: With an aim to save the city’s dwindling water supply, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said that the state government’s first and foremost main aim is to minimize pilferage and wastage of water to below 15% in the coming years.
Speaking at the 26th Indian Plumbing Conference, Narayan said that the state government was well aware about the scarcity of water in the state and that within the next two to three years the government would have the best possible system of water conservation in place.
“In India, we have only 4% of fresh water left and that shows where our city stands. We want to maintain the highest standards with regard to the supply and discharge of water. Many reports said that by 2020, Bengaluru will be out of water. We will not let that happen. We will be happy to integrate any new innovations by the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) into our system,” said Narayan.
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board chairman Tushar Girinath said, “Bengaluru is the first city in the country to start water metering. This led to it becoming the first city to account for accurate unaccounted water, which is currently at 36% out of which 25% is because of leaks.”
IPA national president Gurmit Singh Arora said, “We will sign an MOU with the National Real Estate Development Council in the next few months not only to implement the proper use of water, but also to ensure correct code-based plumbing practices are followed so that any leakages in the system are plugged. We are also exploring collaborations with the Government of Singapore to work with IPA on water conservation initiatives.”
The first day of the conference witnessed a panel discussion on the water woes of Bengaluru.