Residents on outskirts fear ‘mad max’ rush for water

BENGALURU : Residents living in outlying areas of the city, including Whitefield, HSR layout, Sarjapura and others are dreading the upcoming summer as that means they will be shelling out a lot more to ensure a steady water supply to their homes. With summer set to arrive in a few months, areas which are not served by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) Cauvery water supply project, may have to shell out up to `200-300 extra for each tanker of water as the suppliers themselves say that they will be hard put to find enough water to sell. 

Residents of these areas narrate a tale of water scarcity year after year in the absence of an assured supply. While the stage V of the Cauvery water supply project is underway, it will be completed only by 2023, leaving them to the mercy of water suppliers till then. Even core areas of the city have been witnessing shortage every year, a situation that the BWSSB has now said it would remedy this year owing to higher water levels at reservoirs that supply water to Bengaluru. 

“There is no BWSSB connection in our area and on an average we pay `600 during summers for private water supply,” said Nitish Uniyal, a resident of Hulimavu. Other residents of Whitefield, Marathalli, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur, Hulimavu have similar stories to narrate. 

Prices could go up even more this year if private water suppliers are to be believed. According to several suppliers that City Express spoke to, they themselves are forced to jump hoops to source water. “If our 
borewell dries up, we have to travel to other areas to collect water, this will mean more charges for drivers as well as fuel. Extra electricity charges are also needed to pull out water from depleted borewells. We might charge `300 over the regular rate this summer,” said the owner of a water supply firm near Bommanahalli. 

Also the water rates differ from area to area. Water supply in BTM layout, for example, will 
cost between `550 and `650 for 6,000 litres while in areas like Marathalli, this could go up to `800 for the same amount. According to water expert Vishwanath S, this issue could only be solved when the BWSSB extends its pipelines to these areas. “Once the lines are extended all these areas will receive direct water eradicating the water issues in summer,” he said.