BENGALURU: Several apartment associations are opting to hire private tankers to meet their water needs instead of getting Cauvery water supply connections from the government agency. Pointing out that it’s cheaper to engage tankers, the flat owners say it’s unfair that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) levies higher tariff on high-rise buildings as compared to independent houses.  

As Bellandur, Mahadevapura and surrounding localities get connected to Cauvery pipelines, apartment residents are feeling the pinch. Many of them, who are part of Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF), have also submitted representations to the board, asking for the same tariff structure for all types of houses.
“We have been requesting BWSSB for a flat rate,” Neetu Tandon, a BAF representative said. “They charge `400 per sqm for a new Cauvery water connection for an apartment, but it’s only `250 per sqm for individual houses,” she added.

“For our apartment, the connection cost itself was coming to about `1.25 lakh per flat,” Hemant Apte, a Bellandur resident, said, adding that they then decided not to apply for the BWSSB connection. “Independent houses and villas pay far less, and their pro rata charges are also lower. Also, there is no guarantee of 24/7 Cauvery water availability,” he said, talking about how they continue to struggle for water. “Even the private tankers are expensive, but at least there is promise of delivery upon payment. We don’t have any assurance from BWSSB of water supply on all days,” Apte explained.

Similarly, residents of SJR Watermark near Harlur Main Road have also decided against Cauvery water supply. “Villas are charged less but homes that are developed vertically are charged more by BWSSB,” Montu Makadia, a resident, said. “When we calculated our apartments’ water connection charges, it came to around `1 lakh per flat and over `6 crore in total. We opted for tanker water. It costs around `1,200 per month per flat, but there is no capital expenditure.”

The residents’ complaint does not end with the allocation of the connection. According to BAF governing council representative Nagaraja Rao, once water supply starts, BWSSB charges apartment residents `22 per kilolitre against `7 per kilolitre for each house.

BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath said the tariff structure was fixed 3-4 years ago. “When the house becomes a multi-storeyed building, the charges become different. Pro rata charges are also different for bigger buildings,” he said. “We received a representation from the apartments’ federation but we cannot do anything about it now. Normally, the board submits the tariffs to the government, which approves and notifies it. Also, we can’t bring about any changes during election time,” he added.