BWSSB to chalk out action plan to face water shortage in summer

Bengaluru: Anticipating that there might be a water crisis during the summer, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is chalking out an action plan to manage the situation.

Senior officials from the board said that there was an immediate need to sensitise both people and the BWSSB workers on the judicious use of water, given the drought situation the state is facing. 

“We need to ensure that we minimise wastage of water to ensure efficient use. On our end, we also need to bring down wastage due to leakages and we are working on it. We also want to sensitise people on the condition and reduce wastage,” BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar, told DH.  

In preparation for the summer months, the board has planned a number of activities. From awareness campaigns to borewell rejuvenation, BWSSB will soon draw out an action plan that will be presented to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. 

The poor monsoons have left the borewells in the city dry, making the situation worse. There are close to 10,800 public borewells in the city and the BWSSB now plans to take up repair works to rejuvenate them.  “At a few places, we may have to deepen the borewells, flush them, and take rejuvenation works. We have heard that a few of them have dried up and hence want to ensure all of them are in working condition by monsoon,” Manohar added. 

While the officials claim that drinking water might not be a problem, a recent letter by the BWSSB to the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd (CNNL) requesting to store at least 2.4 to 2.5 tmcft of water for Bengaluru hints that the city might be staring at a crisis. Recently, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) also ordered Karnataka to release 998 cusecs of water in February and this could mean that the water levels in the reservoirs could go further down.

Sources said that a crisis might be inevitable. “If not to a large extent, there might be some problems since the state is reeling under drought. We have to ensure borewells are rejuvenated since that could be the only other option,” a senior BWSSB official said.