As many as 13,667 households will get piped Cauvery water with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) all set to commission the Cauvery IV stage II phase project on Wednesday.
BWSSB Minister S Suresh Kumar said here on Tuesday that the project was of much importance than Metro, since it would supply 500 million litres of water per day to the City, the highest compared to any other water projects.
The minister said 1.49 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of iron had been used for laying pipelines for a length of 173 km and the project had consumed two lakh MT of cement.
Suresh Kumar said the Board had not compromised on quality and had used the best material and technology to bring water to the City.
The project was delayed by seven months on account of several hurdles such as non-availability of skilled workers, issues related to land acquisition and right of way permission.
A major obstacle was the hard rock encountered at the Hosur junction while laying pipes with trench-less technology.
The Board has issued 88,965 applications, but received only 28,023 with necessary documents, and 13,667 connections have been sanctioned till now. BWSSB Chairperson Gaurav Gupta said the consumers were skeptical about the water supply and the Board was expecting citizens to come forward to obtain connections once the water starts flowing. He said online submission of applications for domestic connections was also being planned.
While Cauvery water will be supplied to the areas newly added to the Palike limits, the facility is not available to 110 villages due to lack of infrastructure. Chief Engineer (Cauvery), Narayan, said a proposal had been submitted to the government for allocating an additional 10 tmc ft of water for the 110 villages.
Japan International Co-operation Agency will fund the project once it secures approval, he disclosed.