The BWSSB is running into roadblocks on the Cauvery Stage V project, which aims to provide drinking water to 110 villages on the city outskirts. As a result, residents of these villages will have to wait for at least three more months before getting water.
Sources in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) admitted that the project is only 75% complete and its progress has slowed down due to dependency on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
"Works are overlapping,” explained a BWSSB official. “We can only lay some of our infrastructure after the bridges are constructed. We have requested (NHAI) to carry out these works, but we have to wait for their completion."
Also Read | Jal Jeevan Mission: Less than 25% households covered in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh
BWSSB Chairperson N Jayaram said delays have been caused by changes in alignment. "At Kanakapura, the alignment had to be altered due to an NHAI project. We are coordinating with them and will expedite the project," Jayaram assured.
He also said the pandemic has played its part in delaying the project, which they plan to finish by the end of September. "During the peak of the pandemic, we faced a shortage of industrial oxygen, which halted progress as it is required for welding and laying pipelines," he explained. Shortage of labour was another problem.
Residents lose hope
Despite the BWSSB trying its best to meet the requirements of 51 out of the 110 villages, residents who paid the BWSSB nearly two years ago are disappointed with the delay.
Kochu Sankar, president of North Bengaluru’s Trinity Enclave Residents' Welfare Association, said: "There is no communication regarding when we will receive regular water supply. The dates keep getting postponed, and many residents have lost hope."
Another resident spoke of helplessness over the continuing works. "The roads have been in a poor state for nearly two years (due to the works). We have put up with all of this. However, we are still to receive regular water supply," he said.