It is morning time and in the suburb of the city a familiar whirr starts at this time of the day, the sound of a water pump lifting water from a sump tank and filling the overhead tank. Water infrastructure in the city transformed itself in 1895. For the first time water was transported from outside the city lakes of Ulsoor and Sankey Tank. From the reservoir at Hessarghatta water came travelling, part of the distance by a brick aqueduct but part of it had to be pumped up nearly 130 metres. Wood-fired steam engines were used to lift the water and bring it to the Jewell filters at Malleswaram from the pumping station at a place called Soladevanhalli.
The steam engine-based pumps were then replaced by electric pumps, Bengaluru becoming one of the first cities in India to use electricity to pump waters. Needless to say, that the pumps came from England. Similarly, the city built its second reservoir on the Arkavathy at a place called Thippagondanahalli. Water now had to be lifted 235 metres to reach the city. While initially the pumping of water was direct, it became a two-stage lift by placing a pumping station at Tavarekere on Magadi road after the one at T.G. Halli.
The city then moved to Thorekadinahalli on the Cauvery for its growing water needs. Now the lift of water was even more, reaching a direct head of 350 metres. Pumping the water takes place in three stages from the Cauvery to the city. Currently the city employs 78 pumping stations in addition to the lift from the source of water to distribute the waters to 52 ground-level reservoirs.
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While there are many reasons attributed for the growth of the city such as the educational institutions set up here, the locating of public sector units, and the growth of the software industry, none of this would have been possible if the city had insufficient water supply. The only way that the city could access water was by pumping it and to the water pumps therefore we owe the growth of the city.
Supplement
In addition to the major pumps used by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, at least 10,000 open wells and 400,000 borewells supplement the water requirement of the city. Each of them uses a pump set to lift water sometimes from depths as great as 500 metres for such is the depth our borewells have plumbed.
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Of the connections given by the BWSSB which numbers close to 900,000 almost all of them use a pump set to lift water. Overall the city must have close to 1.30 million pump sets dedicated to the use of water alone, a staggering number.
Water infrastructure is about pipes and pumps. The more efficient the design and inner coating of the pipes, the more efficient the pump sets, the lesser the energy consumption and hence lesser the carbon emissions. The BWSSB is now doing a thorough overhaul of its pumps and pumping stations. More efficient pumps have come to the market and hence replacements are being considered.
As a consumer using a pump from either a borewell or from your sump tank, if you have bought a pump more than 5 years ago it is time to take a look and replace it with an energy efficient one. Not only will it save energy but will save you money too.
Water wisdom lies also in energy wisdom and conservation.
zenrainman@gmail.com