BENGALURU: Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is likely to ban the use of drinking and borewell water for car washing, fountains, construction and recreational activities, if the situation worsens in summer. Water tankers will also face the heat if last year’s situation prevails.
BWSSB chairman Ram Prasat Manohar said as groundwater has started depleting in a few areas and with summer approaching, rules imposed like last time will ensure that residents are not hit by water scarcity.
BWSSB officials said a penalty will also be imposed for wastage of drinking water. Use of potable water for washing vehicles, frontyards of houses, roads and shops to kill dust, will attract penalties in summer.
“The harsh summer, depletion of groundwater and chances of over 20 per cent borewells yielding less water will force the Board to come up with such directions. Bulk users like swimming pools need 20 million litres of water and will have to cooperate. Similarly, wastage of water for construction will also come under the scanner,” said an official.
Last year, when most lakes had dried up during the harsh summer, especially in southeast parts of the city, many apartments depending on borewell water faced supply scarcity. Taking advantage of the situation, water tanker operators started charging exorbitantly. In core areas too, where there is Cauvery supply, due to low level in KRS dam and growing demand for water, there was an issue with regular supply.
BWSSB had also directed all tankers to register with BWSSB as the government had announced that it would fix rates following complaints from the public about overcharging. “Now that BWSSB has commissioned Cauvery Stage-5 with a capacity of 775 MLD of drinking water for 110 villages that merged into Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), residents are being requested to take the connection. This initiative will cut down dependency on borewell water. Still, there may be a concern from bulk users like apartment dwellers as in case there are complaints, BWSSB will take action against tanker operators,” said a senior official.
He added a meeting will be held in February and depending on the situation, orders will be issued.