Brace for a dry summer

The City is set to face another thirsty summer this year with 15 per cent of the work on the much-awaited Cauvery IV Stage II Phase yet to be completed.

The project, launched in November 2009, was expected to be completed by February 28, 2012.

The Rs 1,766-crore project taken up by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board will supply an additional 500 million litres per day to the City. It is expected to be commissioned by June 2012.

According to a BWSSB official, the Board has managed to complete 85 per cent of the work despite facing a series of hurdles in the last two years. The strike by sand transporters delayed the work for one-and-a-half months.

Contractors were not able to make up for the time lost , the official said.

Another major hindrance was non-availability of skilled workers for a very long time to execute crucial work  at the project site.

“We required around 1,000 workers. But frequent migration of workers delayed the work. Many workers preferred to work in the City rather than  a remote place like TK Halli. Even at present we are facing a shortage of 500 workers, the official said.

Pipeline had been laid for a distance of 154 kms out of 172 kms. Of the remaining 18 kms, pipeline has to be laid within the City for a distance of 12 km. 
The BWSSB is finding it difficult to execute this part of the project in different parts of the City due to traffic and delay in permitting right of way. Narrow roads en route have compounded the problem.

With NICE refusing permission to lay pipelines on its stretch of the road, the Board now has to look for an alternative route. Laying of pipelines has caused huge inconvenience to residents in Laggere and Uttarahalli.

Outer Ring Road, where the Bangalore Development Authority is constructing flyovers and underpass, has turned out to be another hurdle.

A BWSSB official said the Board is allowed to execute the work only during weekends owing to huge traffic flow on the stretch.