BENGALURU: BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar announced that the board had come up with the ‘RRR’ solution to address the water supply issue.
According to Manohar, RRR stands for ‘Revival of Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi valleys’, ‘Encouragement for Recharging of rain water’ and ‘Rejuvenation of 185 lakes in the city’.
He said the board will join hands with the people’s movement to revive the city’s water bodies, and asked the public to reach out to him directly for this cause.
“In order to make Bengaluru city water surplus by July 2026, by revitalizing the city’s water sources, the triple ‘R’ people’s movement will be started by BWSSB,” said Manohar, after inspecting the two valleys.
He noted that there are many encroachments on the Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi valleys causing problems in the flow of water. “Our objective is to clear these encroachments and allow smooth flow of water. The role of Bengaluru’s residents is also very important and people should join hands for their revival in large numbers,” said Manohar.
Rainwater harvesting and recharging have been made mandatory, and most people have installed rainwater harvesting apparatus in their buildings but don’t have a system of recharging it. BWSSB will provide incentives to those who have adopted rainwater harvesting systems adequately and made arrangements to make good use of that water, he said.
A campaign ‘Hemmeya Bengaluru Nagarika’ (Proud Bengaluru Citizen) will be launched, and BWSSB will paste ‘Proud Bangalore Citizen’ stickers on buildings that have adequate rainwater recharging. On rejuvenation of 185 lakes, he said more than 15 lakes are already being filled with treated water. The water board aims to revive 185 such lakes within city limits in the coming days.
BWSSB to tap Nameghatta Lake water
With water shortage likely to be dire in May, BWSSB is gearing up to deal with the scarcity. BWSSB chairman Manohar, who visited various lakes and water supply stations and inspected them, asked officials to tap Nameghatta Lake in case of water shortage.
“At present, there is 0.3 tmcft of water available in the lake. Also, there is good water in tubewells in this area. 10 MLD of water can be supplied to the city every day through Nameghatta water supply station of BWSSB if there is a shortage of water in May. A discussion was held with officials on Wednesday and instructions have been given to make necessary preparations,” said Manohar.
Karnataka HC: Some charges of BWSSB illegal
Upholding the validity of Advance Probable Pro Rata Charges and Treated Water Charges for construction works by the BWSSB to issue ‘no objection certificate’ to high-rise residential buildings, the Karnataka High Court slammed the petitioners -- Sobha Limited and five others, represented by their general power of attorney holder Brigade Enterprises.
They had argued that they are not willing to pay any charges to the Board as they are not receiving any benefits from it. The court, however, held that the one-time levy of Beneficiary Capital Contribution Charges and Greater Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Project Charges for multi-storeyed buildings in the 110 villages, which are part of BBMP now, is illegal.
The ruling, however, will not come in the way of the state or BWSSB to introduce charges, which have been held illegal, by amending the Bengaluru Water and Sewerage Sanitary Act or the Rules or regulations. Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order.