BENGALURU: The Rs 5,500-crore ambitious Cauvery Water Supply Stage V project, which is scheduled to supply drinking water to 110 villages spread across 225 sq km in the peripheral areas of the city, is likely to be commissioned only by February or March 2024. The latest deadline given by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board was December 2023.
The COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in an acute shortage of labour and industrial oxygen, and the project was given a six-month extension by the state over its July 2023 deadline like all other projects.
We have completed 80% of the project. Our contractors and water board officials are going all out to meet the December deadline by working 24x7, but some issues are beyond our control, said a senior official.
The long stand-off between Ukraine and Russia severely disrupted the supply chain, heavy rains flooded the project site, and the overflowing of the Bheema River and the Turkey crisis have left their impact. As the cascading effect, we are still struggling, the official added.
Out of the total project cost, the Japan International Co-operation Agency is funding 84%, while the BWSSB and the State Government are funding 8% of the cost.
When commissioned, 775 million litres of water per day will be provided to the villages in Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Yelahanka, K R Puram and Byatarayanapura. Ten trillion million cubic metres of water has already been sanctioned a decade ago to ensure supply for it.
Currently, we are supplying water once a week or twice a week to 55 villages out of 110 in these areas. All of them will get regular water when we commission it, a source said.
Project features
Nine Ground Level Reservoirs (GLRs) to store the water are being built. One each will come up along the water supply route of Torekadanahalli (TK Halli) Harohalli, and Tataguni which will also have new pumping stations. The other six GLRs are being built at Gottigere, Doddakanahalli, Kadugodi, SMV Layout VIth Block, Lingaveeranahalli and Singapura, said another senior official.