With the rising demand for drinking water in the city, the State Government has constituted an experts' committee to analyse the water requirement for the next 40 years, till 2050, and look for alternative sources to tap drinking water in Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR).
S. Suresh Kumar, Minister for Urban Development and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), told presspersons here on Thursday that the committee, headed by former BWSSB chief B.N. Thyagaraj, comprises nine others as its members.
The members
R.H. Sawkar, a retired director of Mines and Geology Department; K.R. Narayana Iyengar, retired BWSSB Chief Engineer, S. Mohan Kumar of Civil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Science, are among the panel members. The remaining will be representatives from the departments of Water Resources, Irrigation and Urban Development.
Water requirement
As per a November 25 government notification, the committee will project BMR's water requirements for the next 40 years and prepare the data on BMR's growth during the next 10 years.
Analysing various alternative water supply sources, their financial and technical requirements, preparing a plan for rainwater use, protection of water sources and plugging leakage are among its other responsibilities.
Deadline advanced
Mr. Suresh Kumar said that the deadline has been advanced to the end of 2011 from the 2012 to complete the Stage II of Cauvery Water Supply Phase IV project, which would supply 500 MLD (million litres of water per day) to areas under the erstwhile city municipal councils that were merged with the Bangalore city after the formation of Greater Bangalore. The water supply pipelines to these areas have already been laid under Greater Bangalore Water Supply Scheme.
RWH amendment
The Minister said amendments to the BWSSB Act to extend the deadline for compulsory installation of rain water harvesting (RWH) system will be introduced in the forthcoming session of the State legislature.
RWH became mandatory for existing buildings on 60 ft x 40 ft sites and for new houses on 30 x 40 sites in August 2009. The deadline for building owners to comply was May 27, 2010. However, this deadline could not be enforced for various reasons and so the Government wants to amend the Act to extend the deadline instead of levying penalty on property owners.
