The Hindu : Public taps not to be shut down for now

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 11, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Public taps not to be shut down for now

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE May 10. A proposal by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to shut down public water taps in low income localities and slums in the City has met with stiff resistance from slum dwellers, a vast majority of whom depend on public taps.

For now, the Board has reportedly assured them that it will not resort to the move and will take up the matter with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) and the State Government to ensure free supply of water to the poor.

The BWSSB proposal was justified on the argument that the BMP had not paid the water bill arrears to the Board for supply of free water through 6,100 public water taps. Through the mass shutting down drive of public water taps in low-income areas and slums, the BWSSB hopes to boost water connections to households.

But the BWSSB rates of Rs. 800 deposit and monthly minimum of Rs. 115 have unnerved the urban poor communities. Under the banner of the Karnataka Kolageri Nivasigala Samyukta Sanghatane (KKNSS), a State-level slum dwellers federation, the slum-dwellers had organised a protest dharna at the BWSSB head office on Friday.

The slum-dwellers are apprehensive that even if they took up individual connections, the monthly charge of Rs. 115 would be hiked. Arousing this fear was the slapping of huge monthly bills ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 12,000 on the residents of the Kaverinagar slum in Ganesh Mandira Ward and other areas.

Addressing the slum dwellers at the dharna, N.P. Samy, Honorary President of the organisation, observed that the Government agencies such as the BWSSB should measure the impact of shutting down of public taps on the urban poor communities before initiating such "drastic action''.

Quoting the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG), Mr. Samy said the BWSSB had suffered losses of more than Rs. 100 crore due to irregularities in the tendering and purchasing procedures for contracts. "The BWSSB sheds crocodile tears over free water supply to the urban poor communities such as slum-dwellers, but it does not mind suffering losses in crores due to corruption and other irregularities,'' he said.

Many of the slum-dwellers with individual connections were issued water bills with amounts ranging from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 10,000, the water supply charges for three to four years. Venkatamma, a widow from M.G. Nagar slum in Shankarmath area, reportedly received a bill of about Rs. 15,000.

The BWSSB supplies water to 363 urban poor settlements comprising 1.03 lakh households through over 18,600 functional fountains in the City. Of these, 49 per cent are in low-income areas, 23 per cent in slums, and two per cent in squatter settlements. In such settlements, 20 to 25 households rely on one source/tap.

The BMP is involved in setting up water supply infrastructure in the slums. Mini tank water systems, and hand pump borewells supply water there. The BMP is also involved in payment of monthly bills for water supplied by the BWSSB to about six lakh people from low-income families.

The KKNSS, on its part, has suggested that the deposit for individual connections should not exceed Rs. 300, including the cost of water pipes and other infrastructure. "The monthly tariff should be fixed at a subsidised rate of Rs. 50 for consumption up to 15,000 litres a month. Further, the BWSSB should set up a mechanism which will not affect the urban poor communities in the event of hike in water bills in future,'' said a KKNSS office-bearer.

The Bangalore metropolitan region consumes 680 million litres of water a day. The BWSSB, being the major water supplier, has provided 3.5 lakh connections for a population of 56 lakh in the City.

The per capita consumption is estimated to be about 80 litres in the city. The BWSSB's existing rate for a litre of water is Rs. 6 a litre for domestic consumption under the consumption slab of 0 to 15,000 litres and Rs. 8 a litre for the domestic consumption slabs between 15,001 to 25,000 litres.

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Public taps not to be shut down for now