Work on laying Cauvery water supply pipelines under the fifth stage in close to half of the 110 villages is now complete, said the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The board is expecting to complete work in 70 villages by this September.
Kemparamaiah, BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief, told The Hindu that apart from the 39 villages where work was completed a year-and-a-half ago, pipeline laying work had recently been finished in 13 more villages. “Apart from the 52 villages, we will finish work in another 17 villages in the next two months. By September, we should be able to complete work in 70 villages,” he said.
The Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage V was conceptualised with an allocation of an additional 775 MLD of Cauvery water for Bengaluru to cater to 110 villages in five zones — Dasarahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, and Byatarayanpura. The project also aims to provide UGD (underground drainage) facilities to the extended areas of the city in these 110 villages.
But the BWSSB is still faced with the problem of not getting enough people coming forward to take connections. Even in the 39 villages where work has been completed, very few have come forward, officials said.
“We expected 40,000 to 50,000 connections. What we have got is 6,000 connections. We have now created subdivisions and appointed new engineers and we are waiting for the connections. If people come and apply for connections and we get 50% of the money, we will immediately release water. We are ready. We are only waiting for people to take connections,” Mr. Kemparamaiah said. Asked why people are unwilling to opt for Cauvery water connections, he said in core areas, there is no development charges. But in new areas, they are expected to pay city development charges, which is in addition to the meter and inspection charges, he said. In addition, they will have to pay for floor heads. “For domestic consumers who have not built too many floors, it should cost them around ₹12,000. But the others who have built more floors will end up paying more,” he said.
What if the lack of response continues? “There is nothing much we can do. We are continuing supply to core areas with the same 1,420 MLD. It is our responsibility to provide water and UGD services. We are sure people will come forward. We will in fact be completing pipeline laying work in the remaining 40 villages in around four months, and with that, all 110 villages will be covered,” he added.