BENGALURU : Following complaints of irregular water supply and failure of borewells in Bengaluru, Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh held a coordination committee meeting with the officials of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) here on Saturday. He directed officials to tackle the water scarcity issue.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the Palike will drill borewells with Rs 131 crore allocated to solve the problem. He said, “All zonal commissioners have been told to send reports on areas facing water crisis under their zones. Once the reports are submitted along with the grant required, we will sanction it immediately.”
Girinath told the media, “Rs 131 crore has been allocated to drill borewells in Mahadevapura, RR Nagar, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli and Yelahanka zones (including 110 villages). Borewells will be dug wherever necessary.”
According to BBMP, 58 areas are facing water issues, and officials have been told to complete the tender process to drill borewells.
BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said that of the 10,955 borewells in the city, 1,214 have dried, while water level has gone down in 3,700 such wells. Action is being taken to identify borewells that can be repaired and redrilled, he said.
BWSSB has identified 257 areas, most of them in the 110 villages, where the water problem is acute. The Board is using its 86 tankers and also 200 private tankers to supply water to them. In areas like RR Nagar, temporary water tanks have been placed at prominent places to supply water. Such tanks will be placed in other areas too, he added. BWSSB has given 40,000 tap connections and once the Cauvery 5th Stage starts pumping water in April, many areas that are facing water shortage will get water, a BWSSB official said.
BJP to discuss drinking water crisis in Council
Bengaluru: BJP MLC and Opposition Chief Whip in the Legislative Council N Ravi Kumar on Saturday said they will discuss the drinking water and power crisis in the state in the Council on Monday. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the BJP leader said the state government failed to take drought relief measures to provide drinking water to people. Many parts of Bengaluru are facing water scarcity and people are depending on private tankers for water, instead of getting a tanker for Rs 500, they are paying Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per tanker, he said. The government, however, is not paying attention, he said. It should take immediate measures to provide relief to people suffering due to water shortage in Bengaluru and other parts of the state, he said. Ravi Kumar said farmers are in distress due to severe drought, but the government has washed its hands off by just paying Rs 2,000 compensation. He added that the state government has given cabinet minister rank to 84 persons, including ministers. Questioning the need for giving cabinet rank to so many people, the BJP leader said the move means additional expenses of over Rs 5 lakh per month.