Cauvery river.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: Anticipating the rise in Bengaluru’s water demand, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday announced that the government would draw an additional 500 million litres per day (MLD) of water from river Cauvery, which is about 110-km away from the city.
The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), he said, has prepared a feasibility study for Cauvery sixth stage, which may cost about Rs 7,200 crore.
He made the announcement at the grand inauguration of Cauvery fifth stage in Mandya on Wednesday. The project – costing around Rs 4,336 crore – involves bringing 775 MLD of water to the IT city. With this, Bengaluru will start drawing a total of 2,225 MLD of water, helping around 15 lakh connections.
“We have a responsibility to provide water for the entire Bengaluru. Our government is committed to take up the Cauvery sixth stage. I have given directions to the BWSSB to start the work,” Siddaramaiah said. He said the project will be implemented by taking financial assistance from multi-national lenders as the government did with Cauvery fifth stage.
During his speech, the chief minister criticized the BJP-ruled Centre for stalling Mekedatu and Mahadayi projects involving supply of water. “We have sent the detailed project report of the Mekedatu project to the center but the approval is still awaited. Similarly, Mahadayi project requires Centre’s forest clearance which is yet to come,” he said.
The Mekedatu project, he said, helps Tamil Nadu state more than Karnataka but the Centre including union minister HD Kumaraswamy is taking it forward for political reasons. Siddaramaiah also noted that Centre had announced Rs 5,300 crore for Uppar Bhadra project in the budget but not a single penny has been released so far.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said the government, other than Cauvery sixth stage, is looking into different water sources to meet Bengaluru’s population needs. He said the fifth phase would help residents of seven assembly constituencies including Mahadevapura, Yeshwantpur, RR Nagar and Bengaluru South.
JICA offered Rs 4,336 crore loan for Cauvery fifth stage
When CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar unveiled the fifth stage of Cauvery Water Supply Scheme at Thorekadanahalli in Mandya, they were joined by Hokungo Kyoko, Minister (Economic), Embassy of Japan in India and Takeuchi Takuro, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation of India (JICA) India.
JICA invested Rs 4,336 crore for the project which aims to support 50 lakh new beneficiaries across Bengaluru through five lakh new connections. Over the last 30 years, JICA has extended loans totalling over Rs 10,000 crore to the BWSSB for various projects.