Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board will inaugurate two sewage treatment plants (STPs) on the Arkavati, upstream of the Thippagondanahalli (T.G. Halli) reservoir, by next April, Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George said on Wednesday.
The Minister briefed the media after inspecting the reservoir and holding a meeting with BWSSB officials. The reservoir has 1.24 tmcft of water, said a BWSSB official.
“At present, the quality of water is not suited for supply,” said Mr. George. The water had 800 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS), and the BWSSB was trying to bring this down to 500 ppm TDS. “Once the reservoir is supplied water by the Yettinahole project, it will be usable.” Part of water from the Rs. 13,000-crore Yettinahole drinking water project, which seeks to divert water from streams joining the Netravati in the Western Ghats to the districts in the south, is expected to be supplied to Bengaluru.
When asked about the delay over the Yettinahole project, the Minister said, “In two years, we can expect water from the project to reach the southern districts.”
The STP at Chikkabanavara, with a capacity of 5 MLD, has been built at a cost of Rs. 30 crore and will be operational from January. The second larger STP, built at Nagasandra at a cost of Rs. 30 crore, will have a capacity of 20 MLD and is expected to be operational from April.