Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said the board will supply water from the Hesaraghatta water supply unit if the water crisis worsens in May.
Mr. Manohar, after inspecting multiple lakes and water supply units, including at Hesaraghatta, on Wednesday said the unit has the capacity to supply 10 MLD and if the situation demands more supply, the BWSSB will make arrangements to distribute water from this plant.
He said currently, the lake has water storage of 0.3 tmcft and the borewells near the lake also have water. He directed the officials to ready the unit to purify the lake water to make it potable for drinking during the supply. “We have sufficient water to supply from the water distribution unit and I have instructed the officials to take necessary steps to keep the unit ready by May.”
He said water from this unit will be supplied through pipelines where there are supply lines, and in pockets which are not connected with pipelines, tankers will be used to supply. However, this depends on the situation in May.
On the other hand, the BWSSB will be carrying out the revival of the Arkavathy and the Vrushabhavathy and Recharging of Rainwater (RRR) campaign. After inspecting the Arkavathy and the Vrushabhavathy valleys, he said the BWSSB will work towards clearing encroachments to allow water to flow smoothly and also focus on rainwater harvesting across Bengaluru.
He further said the BWSSB will also seek participation of active citizens in the revival of these lakes as water conservation is the duty of every citizen.
Mr. Manohar said although rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory in Bengaluru, the same has not seen total implementation owing to space constraints. The BWSSB will start a ‘Proud Citizen of Bengaluru’ campaign to encourage citizens to carry out harvesting. Under this programme, the BWSSB will stick a pamphlet that reads ‘Proud Citizen of Bengaluru’ to the building or house of people who have successfully implemented rainwater harvesting. This will further encourage others to do the same, Mr. Manohar said.
