Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday exhorted the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials to crack down on unauthorised connections without a second thought and reduce the unaccounted for water (UFW) from 48 per cent to 15 per cent.
“If the UFW is reduced, 30 per cent of water that is literally going down the drain can be conserved and used to meet the growing demand for water in the city,” the Chief Minister said after inaugurating the Water Board’s golden jubilee celebrations here.
Advising the Board to take suggestions from retired BWSSB officials to provide contamination-free water and meet the challenge of supplying water without any hitches, the Chief Minister said the focus should be on recycling and rainwater harvesting.
Although the Government had made it mandatory for people to install rainwater harvesting units in all constructions that come up on sites measuring 30 by 40 and above, it is unfortunate that the rule had not been taken seriously. “Create more awareness and motivate people to take up rainwater harvesting,” he said.
With increased migration to the city from other places, the Government has to not only think about providing them basic facilities but also maintaining law and order. As it has been estimated that the city will face a shortage of 1,000 million litres of water per day (mld) by 2036, the Government was considering the feasibility of taking up the fifth stage of Cauvery Water Supply Scheme. The Board is currently drawing 1,300 mld from all the four stages of Cauvery, he said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah also laid the foundation stone for the Water Board’s new Suvarna Bhavan to be constructed at a cost of Rs 31.50 crore in Malleshwaram.
Ministers R. Roshan Baig, Ramalinga Reddy and Dinesh Gundu Rao also spoke. BWSSB chairperson Anjum Parvez and other top officials were present.
To mark the occasion, a seminar on “Responsibility of the Public in Water Conservation” was also organised.
