At a time when residents of several localities are increasingly turning to water tankers to meet their daily needs, the cumbersome procedure of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is forcing people to depend on private suppliers.
While private tankers, whose water quality is often questionable, are only a call away, the BWSSB requires people to visit its offices to book a tanker.
The water supply authority has 65 tankers across the city in 31 subdivisions. The water is sourced from its reservoirs.
Residents who wish to get water from the BWSSB have to visit the local office, produce their RR number, pay the amount due and show the receipt to the officials concerned before they can book a tanker.
When demand peaks, supply is subject to availability of water. The authority charges ₹540 for each lorry load of water, which is 6,000 litres.
This long process, residents lament, is forcing them to depend on private players even though they do not trust the source of the water.
Narayan Kukreja, a resident of HAL 3rd Stage, said their house had not received water for several days and calls made to book BWSSB tankers did not elicit a positive response. “We are now sourcing water from private suppliers,” he said.
Another resident, N.S. Mani from New Thippasandra, who is also facing an issue with water supply, said the BWSSB’s tanker system is not working efficiently. “When we complain about water supply, they bring water through tankers and ration it out. This is not sufficient for any household. The process of buying water through their tankers is too complicated. By this time, we can get the water through a private supplier.”
Namma Bengaluru Foundation CEO Sridhar Pabbisetty felt that the BWSSB should make water tankers more accessible. “It is unfortunate that BWSSB is handing it over a platter to the tanker mafia. It is not very difficult to make the bookings an online procedure. They need to promote usage and supply of treated water too, in line with the NGT’s directions,” he said.
‘Supply is the primary concern’
H.M. Ravindra, Chief Engineer, Maintenance Zone, said the BWSSB’s primary concern is to supply water. “In whichever locality there is a complaint, we give water for free. Beyond that, if there is a demand for a water tanker, we supply water for sale depending on availability and demand. As of now, there is not much demand for tankers,” he said.
