BENGALURU: Bracing itself for the steep demand in water from Bengalureans during the approaching summer, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will begin augmenting the Cauvery drinking water supplied to the city with an additional 25 Million Litres Per Day (MLD).
At present, the city receives 1450 MLD from Cauvery river via Shiva Anaikat reservoir which is pumped from Thoraikadanahalli (TK Halli) reservoir in Mandya district to a distance of over 85km to Bengaluru.
Chief Engineer, Cauvery, BWSSB, S V Ramesh told TNIE that excess supply of water is likely to begin in a couple of days. This would be implemented by restricting water being used to generate electricity by the Shiva Hydro Power Plant run by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), he said.
“At present, the canal from Shiva Anaicut reservoir has water only up to a depth of 3.9 metres. This is because of water being drawn by KPCL for power generation as well as the natural process of evaporation. Today, we asked KPCL to allow 4.2 metres to 4.5 metres of water in the canal.
If that is maintained, we can supply an additional 25 to 30 MLD (Million Litres per Day) of water to Bengaluru,” Ramesh explained. KPCL engineers have agreed to do so, he added. Explaining the rationale behind the request made by BWSSB, the CE said the Water Board was gearing up for summer.