Express line from Krishnaraja Sagar dam will supply water to Bengaluru South, North

Move aims at making city water surplus
Krishnaraja Sagar dam
Krishnaraja Sagar damPhoto | Udayashankar S
Updated on
2 min read

MYSURU: Bengaluru City, that recently got water supply from Cauvery Phase V project, will soon get 7tmcft of water from Krishnaraja Sagar dam. It will cater to localities falling in Greater Bengaluru area.

The government plans to lay an express pipeline from KRS dam, that will enable water supply to Kengeri, Sarajapur, Anekal, parts of Nelamangala, Devanahalli and Hoskote, and cover a population of 50 to 60 lakh.

The state government was facing the heat from lakhs of citizens living in areas where the only water source was groundwater or tankers. Their dependence on tankers during the severe drought two years ago severely dented the image of India’s Silicon Valley.

The authorities have prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) which was sent to the Finance department for its concurrence to take up the project. If everything goes well, it is likely to be announced in the Budget and would meet the demand of residents of these localities, who are tired of exploiting the underground water table and depending on tankers.

The proposed project will not only quench the thirst of people in Greater Bengaluru but will also reduce the cost of water per unit from 80 paise to 30 paise, as it is drawn from the express line without sharing water with any villages or towns en route.

The project will meet the growing needs of people in peripheral areas in Bengaluru South and Bengaluru North, whereas Cauvery Phase V, completed at a cost of Rs 4,336 crore, covers Yeshwathpur, Byappanahalli, Bengaluru South, T Dasarahalli and other localities, including 110 villages in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) fold.

The proposed project will not only make Benglauru water-surplus but will also cater to the needs of the growing city for the next two decades and contribute to its growth.

A senior bureaucrat, pleading anonymity, said they are using surplus water from KRS to meet drinking water needs, as Karnataka has been awarded 284.75 tmcft of water from the Cauvery river. Former Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh said they had mooted the project soon after the Congress government came to power and want to ensure that it covers a majority of the population in Bengaluru South and Bengaluru North.

The availability of surplus drinking water would give an impetus to Bengaluru’s growth and also attract investments because of its conducive weather and available talent pool, compared to other metros and major cities.

He said the Mekedatu project will also contribute in a big way to meet the drinking water needs of Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara districts.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com