BENGALURU: With Karnataka releasing water from its reservoirs in the Cauvery basin to Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru residents are apprehensive of supply cuts due to a decrease in dam levels. Many people have approached the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) inquiring if there will be disruptions in the water supply.
Rumours on water shortage started doing the rounds after the Karnataka government stated that reservoir levels in the Cauvery basin are dipping, and water cannot be shared with Tamil Nadu, despite Supreme Court orders.
As per the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Authority, the present storage in Cauvery basin reservoirs is 79.83 tmcft as on August 21, while last year it was 112.65 tmcft. The gross capacity is 114.57 tmcft. BWSSB chairman N Jayaram told The New Indian Express that there will be no rationing of water supply. “We will get our share and the supply for Bengaluru will continue as usual. We supply 1,450 million litres per day (MLD) of water to the city every alternate day,” he added.
Officials in the water board and BWSSB said water is being kept in reserve for irrigation and to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru. “The government has made it very clear that irrigation and Bengaluru’s drinking water needs are a priority. The monsoon has not ended, but there is still hope. Even if there is no rain, there will be no shortage in water supply to Bengaluru,” officials said.
Borewells to meet water needs
To ensure that there is sufficient water supply to the city, Bengaluru, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath on Monday said BWSSB has undertaken the task of supplying borewell water and maintaining borewells in CMC and TMC areas. BBMP will dig borewells and supply water to the 110 villages.
Work in this direction is still in progress, he added. Girinath said he has received complaints that for some wards, excessive money has been allocated for sinking borewells. This will be looked into and the BBMP will ensure equal distribution of funds. BWSSB is also laying Cauvery pipelines in all the newly added areas under BBMP limits to ensure water supply.