BENGALURU: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Sunday announced that it has imposed a penalty of Rs.1,10,000 on residents and apartment complexes for using drinking water for on-essential activites like washing vehicles, gardening etc.
Residents across Bengaluru were found to have wasted precious drinking water based on information, alerts on social media, and during inspections.
In response, the BWSSB issued recent orders regarding the matter.
The BWSSB officials stated that, apart from drinking, the Cauvery water supplied by the government agency through its borewells cannot be used for activities such as washing vehicles, sprinkling water outside homes to settle dust, and gardening. However, in areas like South-East, South West, North, and East zones of Bengaluru, residents have not taken the orders seriously.
"The restrictions were enforced last Friday, and until Sunday, 22 cases of violations were found in three days, with fines collected on the spot after issuing receipts. In the South East division, a penalty of Rs.65,000 was imposed; similarly, in the North division, Rs.15,000, in the East, Rs.15,000, and in the South-West, Rs.15,000 penalties were imposed. Residents were warned and asked not to waste drinking water," said an official.
The BWSSB ordered that the use of water in the city for cleaning vehicles, gardening, building construction, running fountains, and entertainment purposes is banned. The board has stated that the use of drinking water in cinema halls, malls, and for road construction is banned and directed to use only recycled water for such purposes.
