Nearly a decade after plans were drawn to supply water to ‘outlying villages’, the State government has started groundwork on an ambitious project to deliver piped water to homes and offices in Whitefield and other areas.
On Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah laid the foundation for the ₹1,506-crore project to lay a network of pipelines in 110 villages covering more than 11.13 lakh residents. The project will cover localities in Byataranayanapura, Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bommanahalli and Dasarahalli.
“This is a historic step to ensure water for all in the city,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which is executing the project, expects civil works to be completed within 24 months.
BWSSB had prepared the Detailed Project Report in 2010, but the project received cabinet approval in October 2016.
Water will be provided from Cauvery Stage IV, Phase 2, which delivers nearly 1,350 million litres daily to the city. While the water pumped matches the demand currently, BWSSB officials hope that the ongoing ‘Unaccounted Flow of Water’ project — where older pipelines are being replaced to reduce leakage and losses — will result in reduction of wastage from over 45% to 20%. This saved water would be pumped to the ‘newer areas’.
BWSSB has drawn up a ₹5,052 crore plan to implement the Cauvery Phase V scheme, which would bring an additional 750 million litres to the city. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will fund 85% of this project, which has been sent to the Centre for approval, said the BWSSB.
Supplying water to Outer Bengaluru
Pipeline length: 3,185 km
Cost of Phase I: ₹1,506 crore
‘Villages’ covered: 110
Residents (2011 census): 11.13 lakh
Deadline: April 2019
