BWSSB seeks citizens help to fulfil water needs

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has invited suggestions from citizens to explore long term alternate sources of drinking water in the city.While this may lead to a solution to end the city’s water woes, BWSSB is also being censured for approaching the citizens without trying to find a solution.Headed by B N Thyagaraja, a nine-member expert committee has asked citizens, NGOs and other organisations to send their views by the end of October.“What is the point of setting up an expert committee when the Board has to ask citizens for suggestions?” asked Thippeswamy, Former Chief Engineer, BWSSB.He criticised the lack of innovation in the Water Board, to explore alternate sources of drinking water supply.Speaking to The New Indian Express, he said that the Board has to make serious efforts to reduce physical and commercial loss of water.“43 per cent of unaccounted water and 50 per cent of non-revenue water is being wasted everyday.The Board has been unsuccessful in reducing the wastage of water,” he said.With a cash-strapped BWSSB considering a hike in water tariff, he said that it is highly difficult to look at rivers like Nethravathi and Krishna as perennial water sources since it involves a huge expenditure.“The change in the catchment area and land use pattern has made it difficult to collect enough water in the Tippagondanahalli reservoir,” he added.Advocating an integrated approach, he suggested imitating successful models of waste water reuse from countries like Spain and the United States of America.Thippeswamy further said that treated water from proper storm water management and rain water harvesting can meet the needs of drinking water in the city .The other optionsIf the Water Board’s water facility fails, citizens depend on the city corporation bore wells or private tankers.However there is no official data on the number of water tankers in the city -- both private and the ones belonging to BWSSB and other bore well sources.So in a sense, there is no formal method to assess how dependent the city is on these commercial sources of water.Venkat Raju, Chief Engineer, BWSSB, said that the BWSSB alone has 42 water tankers.