The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday asked the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to submit an action plan on supplying safe drinking water to the areas newly added to Bangalore city.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and B.V. Nagarathna issued an oral direction in this regard while hearing a public interest litigation petition initiated suo motu by the court based on a newspaper report about contaminated drinking water in several parts of the city.
The Bench orally observed that “it is not proper to supply safe drinking water only to those living in core areas and leaving out other living in newly added areas. We are worried about poor and middle class people who are suffering hard and spending more on health, consuming poor quality water.”
Constraints
Earlier, senior counsel D.L.N. Rao appearing for the BWSSB, submitted that the Board had two constraints — monetary and availability of water.
He pointed out that the BWSSB was drawing 19 tmcft of water from the Cauvery for supplying drinking water to Bangalore city. While some areas were supplied with water once in two days, some others once in three days, if water supply is extended to the entire outer areas, the frequency would become once in a week, he pointed out.
Funds sought
The BWSSB pointed out to the court that it had submitted a Rs. 2,300-crore plan to the State government about one-and-a-half-years ago for supplying water to the 110 villages added to the city, but the government had not yet approved the plan.
It also told the High Court that if funds were made available for this plan immediately, it required two years for supplying water to these areas.
The Bench will hear the petition again on August 26.
