Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday commissioned Cauvery Water Supply Scheme IV Stage II Phase at Jambusavari Dinne, as a Rajyostava gift to Bangaloreans.
The ambitious project of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will supply 500 million litres of water per day (mld) to residents of areas newly added to the BBMP.
Shettar, who arrived two hours late to inaugurate the much-awaited project, said he would urge the prime minister to increase the allocation of water to Bangalore from 18 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet to 30 tmc feet.
“The 500 mld of water will not be able to meet the drinking water needs of 110 villages on the City’s fringes. Though we have approved the Yettinahole project, we need to plug water leakages in Bangalore to meet its future needs,” he said.
The irony of Jambusavari Dinne is that despite a ground level reservoir being located here, this village and surrounding villages are part of the 110, which will not be receiving water from this project.
Pouring out his constituency’s woes, local MLA M Krishnappa said it was very unfortunate that despite water lines being laid for nearly 15 km and a ground level reservoir being located here, the local residents would be denied Cauvery water.
Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka said as the City population was increasing, the demand for water would also increase in the coming years. The Board has to take concrete measures to plug all the leakages and citizens will have to learn to conserve water, he added.
Many areas, including Yelahanka, Sahakarnagar and parts of Bommanahalli have already started receiving water from the IV stage II phase of the scheme. T Venkataraju, engineer-in-chief, BWSSB, said many residents, who were receiving water once in a week, had started receiving more. The water supply pressure in many core areas had improved as phase II water is reaching them. New consumers will get water in another 45 days, since the Board is yet to inspect the pipelines and conduct trial runs of transmission and feeders lines, he said.
KR Puram MLA Nandish Reddy has planned a bash on November 1 to welcome Cauvery water to his constituency, which will be supplied through Narayanapura reservoir. It is a major relief for the residents of the area, who have suffered the most in terms of water shortage.