Water council on the anvil to attract private players The Hindu : Front Page

<cite>The Hindu : Front Page : Water council on the anvil to attract private players</cite>: "

To ensure better water supply in urban areas and to make the sector attractive for private players, the State Government is thinking of setting up a regulatory body on the lines of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission.The State Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Council, which is to be the regulator, has been conceptualised as an 'independent body' that will take over all the functions of the Government with regard to the water and sanitation sector except the power to formulate policies.Restructuring tariffIt is learnt that one of the important mandates of the council will be to 'develop clarity on the kind of private participation that can be entered into', apart from restructuring tariff rates, as recommended by the Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Policy of 2002.'Setting up of the independent council is a precursor to full-blown privatisation. When private entities enter the field, they do not have to deal with a government body that is accountable to the general public but to a small council,' says Kshitij Urs, a rights activist. (snip)

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A long wait for water -Deccan Herald

<cite>Deccan Herald - A long wait for water</cite>: "

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has assured the residents of 72 wards, in erstwhile CMC areas, of providing Cauvery water by the end of December. And for this, the Board is getting an additional 110 MLD (million litres per day) of Cauvery water by strengthening its pumping stations at a cost of Rs 14 crore. This project was recently inaugurated in K R Puram where the residents were supplied with the additional water the department has generated.But the residents of Kodigehalli and Virupakshapura, who have also been assured with supply of Cauvery water, are unsure if the board will fulfill its promise, the main reason being — the department hasn't completed the required pipeline work as yet. 'Work to lay the pipes is still on. BWSSB officials have been telling us that we will have Cauvery water by the end of this month. With less than two weeks left in this month and so much work to be completed, do they actually expect us to believe them?,' asks Anjaneya Gowda, a resident of Kodigehalli.

Collection of beneficiaries’ contribution for providing Cauvery water began in 2004 itself and since then, hundreds of residents have contributed with respect to extent of their properties. A majority of these people are those living in newly formed layouts. “Residents of new layouts have paid the required sum as the CMC officers had made it compulsory to get their building plan sanctioned. However we, who have been living in Kodigehalli for many years, have not paid the amount. Once BWSSB starts providing us with sufficient Cauvery water, we will pay the dues,” said Kari Gowda, also a resident of Kodigehalli.
(snip)

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Sebi will help to bolster municipal bond market - livemint

Sebi will help to bolster municipal bond market - livemint: "

In January 1998, when the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation issued its own municipal bonds without a state government guarantee, many frowned.The Rs100 crore issue, to support the water supply and sewerage components of a Rs589 crore infrastructure investment programme, was a success. The results encouraged many other municipal corporations to float bonds with investment grade ratings and investors, both private and public, grabbed the opportunity. Despite the good performance, the municipal bond market is only 0.1% of the total corporate bonds traded in India.
In the US, where such bonds have been in the market for the past 120 years, municipal bonds constitute about 12% of the overall corporate bond market in the country.
In the last six years, municipalities in India issued 13 bonds amounting to Rs733 crore. In the US, the market of such bonds is $2.5 trillion (Rs98.5 trillion).
An international conference on developing India’s municipal bond market in Mumbai on Monday emphasized the need for encouraging investors to consider municipal bonds as an attractive alternative to other financial instruments. (snip)

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‘5 p.c. of middle-class have rainwater harvesting units’ The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘5 p.c. of middle-class have rainwater harvesting units’: "

About 80 per cent of middle-class people in Bangalore do not know that the sources of piped water to the city are the Cauvery and the Arkavathy. The percentage goes up to 88 among low income groups.As much as 63 per cent from low income groups do not even know the existence of these rivers and only 24 per cent know that the Cauvery was one of the sources. Among the middle-class, 92 per cent do not know how far water travels to reach the city.About 35 per cent from the low income groups still depend on public taps and hand pumps for their daily supply of water, while only 5 per cent of the educated middle-class have rainwater harvesting system in their houses.These figures were made public here on Thursday from a survey relating to 'water literacy' conducted by the Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA). The survey covered about 3,000 households from both the middle-class and the low income groups across the city. It was carried out in September and October. About 60 per cent of respondents were women. (snip)

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23 units asked to close down The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 23 units asked to close down: "

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has issued orders for the closure of 23 polluting industries as part of its efforts towards a pollution-free environment in Bangalore.When the KSPCB took up an initiative to combat water pollution problems in the city, it was observed that large number of small scale/tiny units that were operating in the unorganised sector since several years were discharging water to drains or sewerage lines causing pollution.In a press release, H.C. Sharat Chandra, Chairman of the Board, said the KSPCB had received a list of units from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike which were allegedly discharging effluents into the storm water drain. The list mainly included small-scale/tiny units engaged in fabric/yarn dyeing, electroplating, engineering and other activities and have been operating for several years. (snip)

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Why are we denied Cauvery water? ask village residents The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Why are we denied Cauvery water? ask village residents: "

Residents of 19 villages around the Bommasandra Industrial Area here, numbering about 1.25 lakh, want a simple question answered: why are they denied Cauvery water when the industries, whose effluents they allege have polluted their groundwater and rendered then unfit for drinking, are being supplied Cauvery water by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB)?Members of the Bangalore Urban Zilla Panchayat representing Hebbagodi, Bommasandra, Chandapura, Hennagara and Jigani have held around 10 rounds of meeting with various officials demanding that they be provided Cauvery water as the water they get from most borewells in the region is not potable.So far, three independent studies have been conducted on the quality of groundwater in this region by the Mines and Geology Department, the Indian Institute of Science's Centre for Sustainable Technologies and Bangalore University's Department of Environmental Sciences. Though they do not state a specific link between industries in the region and pollution, they establish categorically that a majority of random water samples here are unfit for drinking. Many villagers are now forced to get water from sources far away or buy drinking water. (snip)

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Board decides to fleece ‘defaulters’ The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Board decides to fleece ‘defaulters’: "

For property owners in 72 wards in newly added zones of the city, Cauvery water will be available from December but at a premium.Property owners will have to pay the Beneficiary Capital Contribution as per the dimensions of the site, then a fine upwards of Rs. 100 will have to be remitted along with the contribution.While there is no contribution for houses of 600 sq. ft. and less, for sites measuring between 1200 sq. ft and 2400 sq. ft, Rs. 5,000 will have to be paid.The fine, counted from August 1, 2005 is Rs. 100 a month. For sites 2,400 sq. ft and above, the contribution is Rs. 10,000 and the fine is Rs. 200 a month.The contribution along with the fine can be paid in 24 instalments along with the water bills, according to a Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) spokesperson. (snip)

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Many slums get water once in 90 days The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Many slums get water once in 90 days: "

Urban poor from over 40 slums in Yelahanka Assembly Constituency protested in front of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Wednesday against lack of water supply in these areas on Wednesday.'For the past three months there has been no water supply. People have to wait for more than four hours to get water at Rs. 3 a pot,' said Sheela, organising secretary of Women's Voice, which led the protests.Terming it 'a violation of human rights', Ms. Sheela said the burden was most borne by women as they were the ones who had to walk long distances.In a memorandum submitted at Governor Rameshwar Thakur's office, the group said the BWSSB's failure had encouraged private players to take over the supply of water. The memorandum requested the Governor to direct the BWSSB to provide water supply to all slums in Yelahanka Assembly Constituency and to build a water storage tank to supply water to Idagha Mohalla slum, Tank Mohalla slum and Medina Mohalla slum, located in the elevated terrains of D.J. Halli. (snip)

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BWSSB’s penalty unfair, say consumers The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BWSSB’s penalty unfair, say consumers: "

Cauvery water for the 72 newly-added areas of the city comes with an expensive rider: a hefty penalty for those who did not pay up in time. Consumers are not amused.As a 'beneficiary' of the new project which will deliver 100 million litres of water from the Cauvery every day, individuals should have paid the capital contribution by July 31, 2005, the deadline set by the State Government.In case money was not paid by then, penalties of at least Rs. 2,700, Rs. 5,400 or Rs. 8,100, depending on the site dimensions, will have to be paid, says the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).Penalty amountInterestingly, the penalty amounts to 54 per cent of the original contribution.'I did not pay the contribution because they had not even laid the water pipes then. My argument was that you can ask me to pay once you are starting water supply. I am willing to pay the beneficiary capital contribution but not the penalty,' said A.V. Shama Rao of Ramamurthynagar. (snip)

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Special water adalats in new BBMP areas The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Special water adalats in new BBMP areas: "

With 72 wards in the city all set to receive the coveted Cauvery water from December, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is conducting special water adalats in these areas to give details about new water connections and the formalities to be completed for the connections. The adalats will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on November 29 and 30. (snip)

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Taps run dry, tanker rates touch sky-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Taps run dry, tanker rates touch sky-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

Those living in Hanumanagar, Someshwaranagar, Srikanteshwaranagar, Thippasandra or Domlur understand the gravity of the water shutdown better than most others. Mahadev M N and other residents of Ganesha Block in Mahalakshmi Layout depend on their neighbours' sumps for water. 'We haven't received water for three days. How can we store water for the next three days? Many residents have also called tankers, but it's costing us a heavy sum. BWSSB should have made alternative arrangements,' he said.Hemalatha Devanga of Someshwaranagar says community borewell in her area has dried up. 'How many houses can store water in sumps? We have no choice but to depend on tankers, and most of us are apprehensive about the quality of water.'

Developed areas like Hanumanagar in Jeevanbimanagar haven’t been spared either. Water is supplied here once in three days, and at best for an hour. Fortunately, given the early warning, some residents called tankers and made arrangements for the week. Not everybody is as lucky in this area, said R L Nathan of J B Nagar III Stage.

Jayakumar, a businessman of the same area, added: "Water suppliers are acting pricey. Since there was no pressure in the past two days, we couldn’t store any water. I was charged Rs 450 for one tanker load."

In some parts of Rajajinagar, there’s been no water supply since Sunday and residents could not store water as there was no supply even on Tuesday, complained N Radhakrishna.

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People stock up water The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : People stock up water: "

Even as the taps run dry in several parts of the city, people have switched to economy mode and stocked up water as much as they could in buckets, tanks and anything that could be used for storage.The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Tuesday shut down a part of its operations at its pumping station in Torekadinahalli, leading to a shortage of about 270 million litres of water to the city, affecting 30 per cent of the areas. The shut down is to link a new water line that will supply an additional 100 million litres of water every day from Cauvery to 72 wards in newly added areas of Bangalore from December under the Greater Bangalore Water Supply and Sanitation Project.Bhavana K. of Sanjayanagar says, 'After I read in the papers that there will be no water for three days, we stocked up in buckets and water bottles. We even flush only half the tank in our commode to save water.'While scores of people have stored water in their overhead tanks and sumps, those with no storage capacity are left high and dry.(snip)

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Deccan Herald - BWSSB kiosks are quite choosy

Deccan Herald - BWSSB kiosks are quite choosy: "

Currency notes that could be jocularly referred to as `middle-aged' are the only ones that make it through the slits of the kiosks installed at the 24-hour bill payment centres of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB).Altogether 74 such payment kiosks have been installed in the City (newly added BBMP areas do not have them). Five such kiosks come under the Basavangudi South IV sub-division. When this Metrolife reporter assessed their performance, the men manning these centres, BWSSB officials as well as the public were more than eager to vent their grievances.Following the installation of these machines during 2003–2004 by Tata Consultancy Services, water bill payments are accepted only through them. Notes of the denomination of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500 are accepted and any balance due from the department is adjusted with the succeeding month's water payment. There are men posted round-the-clock to help customers pay their water bills. Notes that are crumpled or cut or folded are not allowed.

A new 100-rupee note inserted by a woman into the slit of the BWSSB kiosk at Nagendra Block simply refused to stay put in. Despite seven attempts, the note kept popping out. She then had to insert a not-so-new Rs 100 note into the alloted slot and then clear her bill.
(snip)

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Chaos on the way-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Chaos on the way-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

Scores of tall, massive apartments dominate the skyline. Rows of glass-and-steel facade complexes. Hundreds of sedans, vans, buses and trucks lined up for kilometres. This is part of Greater Bangalore — the 14-km stretch between Sarjapur Road and KR Puram. Testimony to the realty boom and expanding horizons of the IT spectrum.But this burst of prosperity is dogged by a ticking time bomb - inadequate infrastructure. There are about 2,500 mega apartment structures with dwellings of more than 1.5 lakh individual units. There are about 500 massive office complexes with over 1 million sqft of office space.There is no official count of medium and small apartments, and commercial complexes. When these are fully occupied, there will be more than 3 lakh residents in this sector and over 1 lakh employees of the knowledge industry will use this road. (snip)

Water and sanitation are absent in all layouts. While residents of private layouts bank on borwells, the richer lot resort to water tankers. The residents share a borewell between three to four houses, the builders have sunk three to four borewells for each project. The water supplier makes a fortune as his customer base is in thousands. For a few hundreds, every third day each household avail of the supply service.

The BWSSB has done literally nothing to provide water and sanitation facilities in these areas. With the board drawing up plans to develop these areas under the Rs 650-crore Greater Bangalore Water Supply and Sanitation Project (GBWASP), the project is still in the initial stages. A detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared for the Mahadevapura CMC and sent for approval.

The BWSSB is yet to begin furnishing the DPR and detailed design report for Bommnahalli CMC. The only saving grace for wards which come under both CMCs is that they will receive 100 MLD water by this year end.

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ASIA-PACIFIC WATER SUMMIT: INDIA: LACK OF WATER, LACK OF EDUCATION by KALINGA SENEVIRATNE: 24 NOVEMBER 2007 (MaximsNews Network)

ASIA-PACIFIC WATER SUMMIT: INDIA: LACK OF WATER, LACK OF EDUCATION by KALINGA SENEVIRATNE: 24 NOVEMBER 2007 (MaximsNews Network): "

Women used to travel two to three miles to fetch water. Girls and women used to do this work. To wash clothes on certain days we had to go to the road at 1 (a.m.) and do without sleep. We were not able to send our children to school because they had to come with us to fetch water,' said Muniamma, a 40-year-old mother of two living in MRS Palya, a slum community near a large Muslim cemetery. 'There was no peace in this community those days. They had to wait in a queue all night to get a bowl of water. Some young girls who go there get molested,' said Rahat Begum, a community organiser and coordinator of the non-government organisation Association for Volunteer Action and Services (AVAS) where she has worked for 34 years among the slums of Bangalore. This city is known as India’s information technology capital. In some areas, slums have given way to spanking new buildings of high-tech companies -- local and foreign -- employing thousands of graduates from India’s elite technological institutions, servicing global markets from the United States to Japan.

A stone’s throw away is a reminder of another India -- the slums housing the so-called untouchables shunned by the rest of the community. Bangalore has about 365 slums, which are home to a fifth of the city’s 6.5 million population and most lack water and sanitation services.

Salma Sadhika, a social development specialist with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), observed: "The contrast between the two only serves to reinforce the enormous difficulties faced by the urban poor and the urgent need for new initiatives to address the situation."

Public service utilities like the Bangalore water and sewerage board could not give water and sanitation connections to the informal settlements because the latter do not have land titles.

Years of lobbying by community-based organisations like AVAS finally persuaded public authorities to find a way around this legal requirement. At Sundamnagar, for a community of around 300 households, mostly involved in casual labour and the service industry, AVAS was able to collectively buy land and work out a land title.

AVAS also gave collateral to the bank so each family could borrow up to 20,000 rupees (500 US dollars) to build a house. "We’re building people before building houses," explained M. Nagarajaiah, a community organiser at AVAS.

"We have to build, empower, organise and educate them." AVAS gave emphasis to educating women, particularly in water and health management, by setting up a water and sanitation (WATSAN) committee in each community. Most committee members are women.

At MRS Palya, Begum said, it is the women who maintain the system. "If the water doesn’t come and leakages happen, they immediately take it up (with those concerned)," she said. "Most of the men watch TV at home all day, and those who work spend most of their money on alcohol." Sundamnagar was supposed to be the pilot project of the partnership between the Bangalore water board and the slum communities in creating water connectivity.

"Today it is a collapsed project," said Nagarajaiah. "Water is not coming to the homes and people are refusing to pay." The women in the WATSAN committee, with the support of AVAS, took the case to the chairman of the Bangalore water board.

The problem, they said, was that water was being diverted to other communities and water pressure was not enough to bring water into their home taps. They had to dig pits in front of their homes to get water from the pipes at ground level.

"Monthly meter readings are also not being made, and we refuse to pay bills for a service we are not receiving as promised," said Josephine, a water and sanitation committee member and community health coordinator.

"(But) water is essential for us, so we are trying to work out a solution." In MRS Palya, the residents regularly get two hours of water a day. "That is more than enough for each family," says Begum. "They have time to sleep, take a bath and do all the housework."

The community is clean because there are toilets inside the houses and they have adequate water supply. "Before, we could not send our children to school because they had to fetch water at midnight," said Muniamma.

"Today, the children go to school regularly and they are doing well." "Society thinks that we are a poor slum class and we will not get our children educated and we will allow them to just roam around the community," said Vanitha, whose husband died 20 years ago. Their two children have completed high school.

"We are proud to say that since we got this water facility our children have been doing well. Many of them are going to pre-university college, technical education. All the residents are happy," she said. "The environment is very clean, there is no pollution in the slums. We used to get many diseases, now we are getting trained in computers, in management, and many are getting degrees. I’m very happy," said Murthy, a youth leader at MRS Palya who has already completed one year of a hotel management diploma. (snip)

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Water supply in city to be disrupted for four days The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News :

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Water supply in city to be disrupted for four days: "

Bangaloreans prepare yourselves for a waterless four days next week as the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is shutting down part of its operations. Several areas in the city will be affected from November 27 to 30 when the board closes the valves at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.'We are shutting down the fourth stage of Cauvery water supply scheme at Torekadinahalli from 8 a.m. on November 27 for about 24 to 30 hours. This will lead to shortage of about 270 million litres (MLD) of water supply to the city,' T. Venkatraju, Chief Engineer (Maintenance) at the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) told The Hindu. The shutdown is to link a new water line that will supply an additional 100 MLD of water from the Cauvery to 72 wards in newly added areas of Bangalore from December, a BWSSB communiqué said. (snip)

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Cauvery water for 72 wards, finally-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Cauvery water for 72 wards, finally-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

f you've been eagerly waiting to get Cauvery water through your taps, your wait could end by this month-end, provided you pay up the user fee with fine. That could well be Rs 2,700, Rs 5,400 and Rs 8,100.New areas added to Greater Bangalore had been promised drinking water by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). They will finally get 100 MLD (million litres per day) water.After delaying work for over two years, the board has completed laying pipelines and giving connections to 72 wards in the erstwhile seven CMCs and and one TMC. The glitch is that BWSSB has made no effort to remind its consumers to pay up the beneficiary capital contribution as part of the Greater Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Project (GBWASP) scheme initiated in July 2005. Consumers in these areas will be supplied water when they pay up their capital fund along with a fine amount incurred for not paying it on time.

Now that the board seems certain about delivering as per the latest deadline, is is informing consumers about it? "We haven’t made any public announcements as there have been many delays in the project. This time we are certain of supplying water to these wards by November end, and efforts are on to approach people with a copy of all formalities they need to adhere to," said BWSSB chairperson Latha Krishna Rao.The board is preparing a booklet, which has details on the government order highlighting all aspects of the GBWASP scheme. Consumers will also receive a free application form with the booklet.

"We are giving away 1.5 lakh application forms free, for which we usually charge Rs 30. The booklets will be distributed by the end of this month," she added.

BWSSB will also release advertisements and conduct awareness campaigns in the identified wards of Bommanahalli, Byatarayanapura, Dasarahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Yelahanka and Kengeri.As of now, only 25% of the consumers have paid the required fees. Hopefully, the rest will follow suit.

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Rights panel issues notice to BBMP The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rights panel issues notice to BBMP: "

The State Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to S. Subramanya, Commissioner of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), asking him to submit a status report on the steps taken to improve the quality of infrastructure in Yelahanka.Taking suo motu notice of the report 'Poor roads, garbage make life difficult' that appeared in these columns on November 12, the commission directed the BBMP to submit the report within a month.'If the allegations (lack of water supply and civic amenities) in the report are correct, it undeniably violates many basic aspects of 'the right to life' guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,' the order states.

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Environment panel to examine areas prone to sewage problems The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Environment panel to examine areas prone to sewage problems: "

The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), headed by G. Srinikethan, will soon visit various pollution-prone areas in the city, particularly open sewerage discharge sites.The areas include Whitefield and Electronics City, near Bangalore.Prof. Srinikethan told The Hindu that the city was experiencing tremendous growth in peripheral areas like Whitefield and Electronics City, but there were issues concerning un-regulated building construction and poor underground drainage system in some areas, and absence of underground drainage system in others.He said a number of experts from environmental engineering, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and top district officials would be part of the committee that would discuss several issues like site location, suitability, requirement of land and water sources, wastewater generation, method of treatment and disposal, recycling, reuse, adequacy of land for gardening, landscaping, solid waste generation, collection and treatment, and mitigation measures.

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All set for land acquisition for two hi-tech industrial layouts The Hindu : Karnataka News :

The Hindu : Karnataka News : All set for land acquisition for two hi-tech industrial layouts: "

Two hi-tech industrial layouts have been planned around Bangalore and they will be contiguous with the five new mega housing layouts to be formed by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).This is said to be part of a new experiment being launched by the Government to decongest Bangalore and to ensure that people from one residential pocket are not compelled to crisscross the city to reach their workplaces.Called 'the integrated township scheme', the Government has decided to promote integrated townships like what prevailed several decades ago when major industries had a residential township alongside.Sources in the State Secretariat told The Hindu here that the Government, which sometime ago cleared the preliminary proposal and surveys for the formation of the two industrial layouts, was now expected to give the formal nod for acquisition of lands.These lands along with the 15,000 acres of land sought to be acquired by the BDA for the formation of five mega layouts were part of the greenbelt around Bangalore and were recently reclassified following the adoption of the new Comprehensive Development Plan for Bangalore.

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A heavy downpour and it floods here The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A heavy downpour and it floods here: "

Even the most seasoned commuter quails at the thought of venturing on Mysore Road after a heavy spell of rain. For, this busy arterial road gets choked at least at two points — its junction with the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near Nayandahalli and at the Rajarajeshwari arch. While the Vrishabhavathi overflows at the ORR Junction, the discharge from Nayandahalli lake submerges the road near the arch as the water does not find its way to reach the Vrishabhavathi valley.This problem manifested itself in its worst form during last week's rain. On Wednesday night, the inbound as well as outbound traffic was held up for more than three hours.Worse still, there was an encore on Friday too before the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stirred itself into action.Not that it was anything news. During the October 2005 rains, the then BBMP Commissioner K. Jairaj had promised to remove silt from the valley near the ORR Junction; remove encroachment on the 'rajakaluve' of the Nayandahalli lake and allow free flow of the lake discharge to the valley. Monsoon over, the promises remained unkept. (snip)

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The dead are dead, and we aren’t alive: Tehelka

Tehelka:: Free. Fair. Fearless: "

Nagratna cannot stop sobbing. Basavegowda, her husband, swallowed pesticide on the morning of June 2, just as the family was busy with its chores. He was rushed to KR Hospital in Mysore, where for the next 48 hours, doctors battled to save the life of a man who had lost the will to live. Owner of three acres of land at Sadholalu village, Basavegowda died with a debt of Rs 3 lakh against his name. He was unable to take any more harassment from the moneylenders he was indebted to.Only three months ago, Basavegowda had sunk a borewell with the loan, when he had not enough water for his sugarcane crop. He was one of the hundreds of farmers dependent on irrigation water from the Krishnaraja Sagar dam in Mandya district, about 100km from Bangalore. His farm was at the tail end of the dam's canals. Water to such farms is in short supply due to poorly maintained canals, pilferage by farmers and erratic power. His sugarcane crop dried up as a result.

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Choked drains, slush make it a hell The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Choked drains, slush make it a hell: "

Eleven-year-old Mageshwari, a seventh standard student of a private school in Annaiah Reddy Layout of Puttenahalli, has not been able to wear her uniform for the last three days. You ask her and she innocently says that there is no water in her house to wash the uniform.Similar is the case with other students. But thankfully their school principal has not objected because he too has the same problem.'I cannot be strict now. When there is no water to drink, where will they have water to wash,' P.V. Ravindranath, Principal of Image English School, said.The deluge clogged sanitary drains and damaged the borewell water pipelines in the area. Since the rains, residents are left without any water.'The water supply (which was already irregular in the past) has stopped since Sunday. We are either buying tanker water from other areas or using the smelly contaminated water from the private borewells in the neighbourhood. We are forced to drink this water,' said Nagaratna S., a resident.'Our toilets are blocked. The stench is unbearable. There is slush all around us. We cannot afford to buy packaged drinking water cans and are forced to manage with whatever we get,' said P. Amaiahyamma, a resident.

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Encroachment: residents of Tatanagar receive notice The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Encroachment: residents of Tatanagar receive notice: "

At least 16 residents of Tatanagar near Hebbal, a layout formed for employees of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), have received show-cause notices from the State Government for encroachment on a Raja Kaluve (primary drain).The layout was developed by the IISc. Employees House Building Cooperative Society, part of which has allegedly been formed on the Raja Kaluve that leads out of Kodigehalli lake.The Government has come to the conclusion that it is encroachment based on survey reports and village maps, according to an order passed by the court of the Special Deputy Commissioner on August 31.Residents, however, contest the claim that they have unauthorisedly occupied the Raja Kaluve and have obtained a stay from the Karnataka Appellate Tribunal over the Special Deputy Commissioner's order.'The land for this layout was acquired by the government on behalf of the cooperative society. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) released the sites in 1999. We have received approvals from all other statutory bodies,' says H.N. Vasan, Principal Research Scientist from the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit at the IISc. and an affected resident.

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PPP in urban infrastructure is the trickiest

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Features/The_Sunday_ET/Special_Report/PPP_in_urban_infrastructure_is_the_trickiest/articleshow/msid-2393882,curpg-1.cms
PPP in urban infrastructure is the trickiest
23 Sep, 2007, 0017 hrs IST,Vinayak Chatterjee,

Of the various components of infrastructure, PPP in urban infrastructure is clearly the trickiest. It is not a standalone lumpy investment like a power plant, port or airport. Viability is dependent on collecting user-pay charges from politically-sensitive constituents.

And it is dependent on long-term agreements and support from generally soulless urban local bodies. To add to the challenge, India has 5,545 urban agglomerations (UAs). Around 11.6% of these UAs, that have a population in excess of 1 lakh, are called ‘cities’. There are 643 cities.

Moreover, nobody quite has a fix on how much investment urban India needs. The best estimate I am aware of comes from Ramesh Ramanathan of Janaagraha, one of the finest minds our country has on urban rejuvenation issues.

He reckons that the appropriate thumb-rule is Rs 50,000 per capita of urban population. By this estimate, investments required for all our towns and cities put together is $348 billion, possibly over the next 15 years. So, a town like Dehradun (population – 5,28,000) will require Rs 2,640 crore and a city like Bangalore (population-56,87,000) will require Rs 28,435 crore till almost the first quarter of this century.

And where is all this money going to come from? Even with JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) nudging urban authorities to wake up to the realities, it is unlikely that more than 30% of the capital needed will come from PPP and private sources, as against an expectation of 20% for the infrastructure sector as a whole at the national level.

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Basic amenities sought The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Basic amenities sought: "

The Karnataka State Construction Workers' Central Union, L.R. Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar branch, organised a massive protest in front of the National Games Village complex protesting against the apathy of the State Government and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike towards their problems. Representatives of the union and residents of the L.R. Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar slums demanded that residents be provided with basic amenities such as clean drinking water, sanitation and sewage facilities and proper garbage disposal facilities. P. Govindaraju, union president, said that the huge storm water drain running parallel to the slums was posing a major hazard for residents, especially children. As part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) under which street lights, roads and basic amenities would be provided, a retaining wall should also be built around the drain to ensure safety of residents.'Every time there is heavy rain, our area gets flooded and water enters the houses. Moreover, drinking water is getting mixed with sewage and even though we have complained several times to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, no action has been taken,' Natarajan, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, said. He said that despite several representations to the BBMP, no action had to taken to provide amenities to the people in these areas.

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Sunita Narain: Reinventing water-waste for Indian cities

Sunita Narain: Reinventing water-waste for Indian cities: "

India is growing rapidly in its cities. Cities require water and sanitation and while the government estimates that as much as 80 per cent of urban Indians have access to safe drinking water and 64 per cent to sanitation facilities, these numbers hide more than they tell. Shortages of drinking water cripple cities. The quality of water supplied is increasingly a problem. The fact is that the pollution of rivers and other water systems puts pressure on public water utilities to increase treatment costs. Groundwater levels are declining precipitously in urban areas as people bore deeper in search of the water that municipalities cannot supply. In all this, the waste generated by cities is not treated and adds to the burden of contamination of water bodies. Cities today have no option but to source water from further and further away. This then increases the cost of treatment and delivery of water. It also leads to inefficiencies in supply, with distribution losses estimated to be in the order of 30-50 per cent in almost all cities of the country. In other words, there is less water to supply and there is less water for which full costs have to be recovered. (snip)

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Project eases water scarcity in north Karnataka The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Project eases water scarcity in north Karnataka: "

A Rs. 929.67-crore Jal Nirmal Project has significantly improved rural communities' access to potable drinking water and sanitation services in 11 districts of north Karnataka. It has reduced, by nearly 50 per cent, waterborne diseases in select villages.The project, which was launched in April, 2002, after initial delays, has covered 3,064 habitations of 744 gram panchayats in the rain-fed and arid districts of Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Koppal, Gadag, Haveri, Belguam, Dharwad and Uttara Kannada. The International Development Association (IDA), the soft arm of the World Bank, has granted credit of Rs. 728.57 crore to the project.As many as 1,935 drinking water supply schemes and 1,069 road and drain works have been implemented by spending Rs. 587.68 crore as on June, 2007. With the execution of the schemes, the availability of drinking water in the villages has been enhanced from 30 litres per capita per day (LPCD) to 55 LPCD in the five-year period. Besides village sanitation, JNP has improved sanitation facilities in 2,000 primary and higher primary schools. (snip)

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Protest against lack of water supply The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Protest against lack of water supply: "

Residents of Bharathinagar protested in front of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Machalibetta service station on Tuesday against the lack of water supply to their area for the past 15 days. Holding empty plastic pots as symbolic of the water scarcity they have been facing, the protestors, mostly women, demanded that water supply be restored immediately. Mallika, one of the protestors, said that they had been facing problems since last year when the public tap in their area had been removed. 'We have to walk far distances late in the night when they release water. How can we do that?' she asked. Deepa, another protestor, said that the BWSSB has been asking them to install meters to get regular water supply.'But we live in rented houses. We keep changing houses. We cannot afford to spend Rs. 2,000 or Rs. 3,000 to install meters.' Baby, who has a meter installed in her house, however, said that even with meters, she had not received water for 15 days. Rajeev K.N., Assistant Executive Engineer, said that water supply had been affected because the area is at the 'tail-end' of the Cauvery water supply system. 'But water will be supplied by evening,' he said.

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BWSSB first water utility to go in for credit rating The Hindu : Front Page

The Hindu : Front Page : BWSSB first water utility to go in for credit rating: "

As a measure to assess its financial strength, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has become the first water utility in the country to go in for credit rating. The Board has appointed ICRA Ltd., one of India's leading credit-rating agencies, to evaluate its financial strength in leveraging the market to raise funds. The rating will analyse the BWSSB's debt-leveraging ratio, or its borrowing capacity.Disclosing this to The Hindu, BWSSB chairperson G. Latha Krishna Rao said that this was an effort to 'find out where and how the service oriented, no loss, no profit organisation truly stands vis-À-vis other establishment s'. The rating, which should be out by November, will, according to Ms. Rao, not only allow the BWSSB to see where its finances stand, but also enable it to secure funding from the public, and financial institutions and plan its projects.'We might feel we are good, the best… but if it comes from an independent credit-rating agency, it will have that much more weight.' Ms. Rao, who has a financial background, said that the rating exercise 'will help the BWSSB to clean up its books'. It will also allow the BWSSB to 'take mid-course corrective steps if necessary'. (snip)

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The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Repair on pipeline hits traffic

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Repair on pipeline hits traffic: "

It was wastage of precious water. As Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) struggled to plug a leaking water supply line, precious drinking water flooded the busy T. Chowdiah Road and surrounding areas on Sunday.Even as BWSSB tried to arrest the leak near Bangalore Development Authority office, water supply was affected in Sadashivnagar, Sanjay Nagar and other surrounding areas.BWSSB personnel pumped out water stocked in the cement pipeline since the supply was stopped. 'We are yet to reach the leaking point, which is 2 metres below the surface level,' a BWSSB official said. (snip)

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Deccan Herald - Thirsty Bangalore to get recycled water

Deccan Herald - Thirsty Bangalore to get recycled water: "

Bangaloreans will get to drink a mixture of recycled water and rain water in future.The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), in a bid to meet the water supply-demand for the next 20 years, has decided to focus more on water-recycling technologies instead of tapping new water sources to enhance the supply of potable water.This decision has come against the backdrop of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal's verdict (which is being challenged before the Supreme Court) allotting a meagre quantity of water from the Cauvery river for Bangalore city for drinking purpose.Announcing the plan to supply 600 MLD of recycled water for potable purposes after reviewing BWSSB's projects in Bangalore on Thursday, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said sewage water would treated by using ultra filtration (UF) water recycling technology to enhance supply of potable water. (snip)

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Deccan Herald - State to have policy on rain water harvesting

Deccan Herald - State to have policy on rain water harvesting: "

Water table reports in Karnataka reveal a bleak future. Rain water harvesting seems to be the only viable option, as the state government is seriously working on a policy on rain water harvesting (RWH).The RWH policy is being created to mandate rainwater harvesting for residences, commerical buildings, industrial complexes, public buildings and parks, a top official of the Urban Development department said. (snip)

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Bangalore team visits RWH structures in city, The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News

The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Bangalore team visits RWH structures in city: "

Bangalore is bound to go the Chennai way with regard to rainwater harvesting soon. As a precursor to making harnessing of rainwater mandatory, as in Chennai, a team of officials from Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) visited Chennai Metrowater's Rain Centre in Anna Nagar on Thursday to study the concept.The 30-member team, including plumbers, also toured a few other Metrowater rainwater harvesting (RWH) projects and models adopted in some houses and multi-storeyed apartments in Anna Nagar.Briefing the team, Metrowater officials said that given the average annual rainfall of about 1,200 mm in the city, an area of about 2,400 sq.ft. would receive about 2.67 lakh litres of rain water. Of this, at least 60 per cent can be recharged with proper RWH system.BWSSB chief engineer (Quality Assurance Wing) R.Vasudevan said the groundwater extraction in Bangalore was so much that the water level had dipped to about 300 feet below ground level. BWSSB supplied about 900 million litres of water a day (mld) against the demand of 1,300 mld. 'We depend on the Cauvery water drawn from 100 km away from the city. Due to this, about 75 per cent of the [BWSSB] revenue is spent on electricity charges,' he said.Therefore, it has been decided to make RWH mandatory in Bangalore to arrest groundwater depletion, he added. (snip)

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Barely a drop to drink: Business Standard

Subir Roy: Barely a drop to drink: "

This is what Bangalore weather used to be like most of the year, said my neighbour and long-term resident, pointing to the overcast sky, the slight nip in the air and showers every so often. I couldn't agree with him more. But what neither he nor I could figure out was why there should be such an acute water shortage even when we are in the middle of a monsoon that has arrived on time and is behaving so well. There is an easy correlation between the rains and water supply in Karnataka which lives by its reservoirs. When these are doing fine life is bountiful. As the dry months inch towards the arrival of the monsoons, water in the reservoirs is preserved and taps run dry. Nobody complains as instead of saving for a rainy day, you are readying for the day when the rains may fail. But when it is raining so good, the reservoirs are approaching their high water mark and even neighbouring states are getting their share of the river water without any shouting, why on earth should water supply be so appalling? (snip)

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Water supply to Bangalore to be augmented The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Water supply to Bangalore to be augmented: "

BANGALORE: An additional 500 million litres a day of Cauvery water will be supplied to Bangalore city from the second phase of the fourth stage of the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme, which will become operational 2011-12, Home Minister M.P. Prakash said on Tuesday.Replying on behalf of the Chief Minister during question hour in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Prakash told Vatal Nagaraj (Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha) that the estimated cost of the second phase was Rs. 2,830.70 crore. The first phase of the fourth stage would be completed in September and it would augment water supply by 100 million litres a day. Bangalore had been getting drinking water from the Cauvery since 1974, he said. (snip)

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The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Regulatory authority to manage flood situation

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Regulatory authority to manage flood situation: "

The Government has decided to constitute a regulatory authority for managing flood situation, including the implementation of relief measures, on a permanent basis, Minister for Revenue Jagadish Shettar has said.Replying to the ongoing discussion on flood situation, in which 18 members participated, in the Legislative Council on Friday, Mr. Shettar said that the Government had taken steps to shift a number of villages in the north Karnataka region that were being affected by the floods on a permanent basis.The Government had sought additional assistance from the Union Government for helping the flood-affected people. (snip)

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Pilferage leaving these cities water-starved he Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Pilferage leaving these cities water-starved: "

Even as residents of Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum make a hue and cry over insufficient supply of potable water, nearly half of the water drawn for these cities is literally going down the drain by way of leakage, pilferage and unauthorised connections.Water shortage has, on the one hand, led to an increase in exploitation of ground water by those who can afford to dig borewells. On the other, it has offered roaring business to those who sell water tanks as low-income groups tend to store whatever water is supplied.Although 96 million litres a day (MLD) of water is drawn from Malaprabha and Neerasagar reservoirs for the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad, only 45 MLD reaches the consumers. (snip)

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Deccan Herald - Government assures inquiry into 'Drainage scam'

Deccan Herald - Government assures inquiry into 'Drainage scam': "

The Karnataka government will hold an inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds in the works taken up to desilt storm-water drains in the city, Transport Minister Chaluvaraya Swamy informed the Karnataka Legislative Council today.Replying to Janata Dal (Secular) member M Srinivas, the Minister informed that the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had started desilting work of the drains in the city with an estimated Rs 49.63 crore and spent over Rs 22 crore so far. (Snip)

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The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BBMP services severely hit as workers’ strike continues

BBMP services severely hit as workers’ strike continues The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : "

The four-day-old strike by municipal workers of the newly added zones of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has begun to take its toll on BBMP services. Water supply is disrupted, solid waste disposal is in disarray and the works related to storm water drains and daily cleaning works in the area have been left unattended. (snip)

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'PPP model for speedy urban projects'-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times

'PPP model for speedy urban projects'-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times: "

The central government is set to extend the public-private partnership (PPP) model to urban infrastructure projects for their speedy development across the country.'As an estimated 50 per cent of the population (about 700 million people) will be living in cities by 2025, the government and other stakeholders face the daunting task of providing world class infrastructure facilities to improve the quality of life, connectivity, utilities and access to basic/civic amenities for all denizens,' union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said here Friday.'Since the central government and states alone cannot shoulder the responsibility due to financial and resource constraints, the private sector will be involved to take up infrastructure projects on the PPP model as in the case of national highways, power, transport, airports and seaports,' he said. (snip)

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BWSSB working on making rainwater harvesting a movement The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News :

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BWSSB working on making rainwater harvesting a movement: "

'Enforcement of bye-laws pertaining to rainwater harvesting must be stringent like in Chennai. While there are laws to ensure that every new building has RWH systems, the same laws should be applied to old constructions as well,' K. Jothiramalingam, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, said at a workshop on rainwater harvesting for plumbers on Thursday.Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman N.C. Muniyappa said that while Rs. 400 crore was being spent every year on rainwater harvesting initiatives in rural areas of the State, very little was done in urban centres.He urged the corporates, Defence establishments and institutions like the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Management, which have large tracts of land, to take active part in the rainwater harvesting drive of the BWSSB.

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Cauvery water for new areas soon The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Cauvery water for new areas soon: "

Residents of 52 wards in the erstwhile City Municipal Councils (CMCs) and Town Municipal Councils (TMCs) will get drinking water supply from the Cauvery in the next two months, Health and Family Welfare Minister R Ashok said here on Tuesday.Speaking at a function organised by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to lay the foundation stone for four underpasses the Outer Ring Road, Mr. Ashok said that the distribution lines for the supply had been laid. 'The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will bring an additional 100 million litres of water a day (MLD) from the Cauvery IV phase at a cost of Rs. 16 crore,' he said. (snip)

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BBMP: Fridays are for cleaning The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BBMP: Fridays are for cleaning: "

Bangaloreans are likely to enjoy 'clean Fridays' for two months from June 15. At least that is what the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials promise.To check the outbreak of water and vector-borne diseases, the BBMP will take up special intensive cleaning of areas every Friday starting June 15.This intensive cleaning campaign, to be taken up in the 100-odd wards initially, will cover complete removal of garbage, debris, silt and commercial waste from pavements, cleaning of vacant sites, elimination of black spots, clearing of clogged shoulder drains, medians and kerbs, spraying and fogging of chemicals to check mosquito breeding and an intensified dog-catching drive. (snip)

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Harvest rain or no water line-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Harvest rain or no water line-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

Better include a rainwater harvesting system in your new building plan. Else, BWSSB won't sanction water and sanitary connections.The law making rainwater harvesting (RWH) mandatory in new constructions, until now only on paper, will finally be implemented. Two days after the World Environment Day, this need dawned on BWSSB belatedly.In an order dated June 7, it directed that henceforth, while receiving applications for sanction of water supply connections, a drawing showing the rainwater harvesting system should be included. It should specify details like rooftop area, pipeline arrangement, diameter of pipes, collection tanks, etc.(snip)

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Deccan Herald - Nod to new water connections put on hold

Deccan Herald - Nod to new water connections put on hold: "

BWSSB has resorted to this measure as part of its contingency plan to cope with prevailing drinking water scarcity in the City. Faced with severe scarcity of bulk water supply this summer, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has stopped sanctioning new water connections to buildings from April 1.BWSSB has resorted to this measure as part of its contingency plan to cope with prevailing drinking water scarcity in the City.'We have stopped sanctioning new connections as there is shortage in bulk water supply. Even if we had sanctioned, we would have been unable to provide the service,' BWSSB Chief Engineer Venkatraju said.So what next? 'We will start sanctioning new connections only after monsoon sets in. Soon after it starts raining, we will resume the work of sanctioning new connections. Till then, all applications pertaining to new connections will be kept pending,' he stated.BWSSB receives over 2,000 applications every month for new water supply connections. In other words, around 4,000 applications have been kept pending till now. Presently, BWSSB has 5,12,000 connections in its jurisdiction. (snip)

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Deccan Herald - Pipeline leak dries out Blore East

Deccan Herald - Pipeline leak dries out Blore East: "

The worst affected areas due to lack of water supply were Indiranagar, Ulsoor, HAL II stage, ITPL Park, Kodihalli and Byappanahalli. Taps in eastern parts of the City went dry on Wednesday as the main feeder pipeline of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) was damaged in front of the Ulsoor gurudwara.The worst affected areas due to lack of water supply were Indiranagar, Ulsoor, HAL II stage, ITPL Park, Kodihalli and Byappanahalli.Drinking water supply in these areas won't resume on Thursday too.The feeder line, which supplies drinking water from the High Grounds area to Bangalore East localities, started leaking at around 10:00 pm on Tuesday.As the damaged portion of the pipeline runs under the road linking Ulsoor and Old Madras Road, BWSSB dug up the road to take up the repair work. As a result, traffic flow on this stretch was affected on Wednesday morning.Old and rustyAccording to BWSSB Chairman M C Muniyappa, the pipeline, laid in 1978, had become old and rusty. 'Due to the heavy traffic load on the road, the pipeline got damaged. Water supply will remain affected in parts of Bangalore East until the pipeline is restored. It is a tough job to repair the pipeline, which is located five meters below the ground-level,' he added. (snip)

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The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BWSSB repair work hits traffic near Ulsoor Lake

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BWSSB repair work hits traffic near Ulsoor Lake: "

Several road users were put to inconvenience as the police closed the Kensington Road in Ulsoor without notice from Tuesday night to Wednesday evening to enable Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to take up repair of a main water pipe in front of the Gurudwara.As vehicles were not allowed on the busy Kensington Road abutting Ulsoor Lake, which connects central and eastern parts of the city, motorists had to make a detour to reach their destination.The traffic diversion led to snarls on several roads in and around Ulsoor during the peak hours on Wednesday.Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East) Mallikarjuna Swamy told The Hindu that the road was closed for traffic from 10 p.m. on Tuesday.The BWSSB had assured that it would complete the repair by 8 a.m. on Wednesday. But the work went on till afternoon following some technical problems.The BWSSB staff had to repair the main water pipe at a depth of 20 feet and water kept gushing, affecting the work, he said.After the work was completed, the road was thrown open to traffic in the evening, Mr. Swamy said.The BWSSB officials said they completed the work around 2 p.m. and replaced a pipe that was laid in 1980.

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Deccan Herald - Rly station goes dry as BWSSB plays truant

Deccan Herald - Rly station goes dry as BWSSB plays truant: "

The station has been facing water crunch for the last last two months, with the BWSSB playing truant. The station needs 30 lakh litres of water everyday, for which it pays the BWSSB Rs 5-10 crore per year. If you have boarded a train at Bangalore City Station, don't be surprised to find there's no water in the toilet or the wash basin tap is dry. If taps at the platform are dry, it could mean the station has not received its regular supply of water. The station has been facing water crunch for the last last two months, with the BWSSB playing 'truant'. The station needs 30 lakh litres of water everyday, for which it pays the BWSSB Rs 5-10 crore per year. If the supply is hit even for a few hours, it leads to chaos at platforms and trains. Though the station has water storage facility, it isn't enough to meet the demand. There are 74 trains emanating from the station. 'When water supply is affected, we fill half the amount of water from our facility in the trains. It's not enough, but that's the best we can do. Often trains leave without water and we request the next station to fill the water. It delays the train and the station may also not have sufficient amount of water because it may not be a 'watering station',' Divisional Railway Manager Mahesh Mangal told Deccan Herald. (snip)

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PIB Press Release

PIB Press Release: "

Representatives of mega cities' corporations, senior officials from banks and financial institutions, apex industries' organizations, state government representatives met in a daylong conference in New Delhi yesterday (5th June 2007). The objective of the meeting was to take stock of the implementation vision of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, JNNURM projects in the mega cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.Shri M. Ramachandran, Secretary, and Urban Development Ministry chaired the conference. The meeting felt that the projects, which are amenable to Public Private Partnership, PPP, should be listed by the cities. Assistance of financial institutions should be enlisted and more attention should be paid to simultaneously moving further on the PPP route. The conference felt that success shown like the Latur (Maharashtra) Water supply project where private participation has been successful should be widely circulated. (snip)

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JNNURM to speed up development of cities & towns-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times

JNNURM to speed up development of cities & towns-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times: "

Urban development secretary M Ramachandran dwells upon policy initiatives aimed at finding resources to build urban infrastructure and the importance of increasing the financial position of urban local bodies.The 74th amendment of the Constitution in 1992 introduced the third tier of the government. But local governments, including urban local bodies (ULBs), continue to be largely hamstrung, both financially and functionally.It is true that despite the 74th constitutional amendment, the functional and financial status of the ULBs have not improved as desired. Given the low level of resources at the disposal of ULBs, unbundling of certain basic urban services for private participation is needed.The urban development ministry has recently prepared an agenda for action for ULBs aimed at their better management. The 21-point agenda includes suggestions for citizen charter, tips for improving basic services, assistance under central sector schemes, management of urban areas, revision of building bye-laws, use of IT, urban transport, financial system etc. (snip)

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The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rainwater harvesting is the way forward for Bangalore

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rainwater harvesting is the way forward for Bangalore: "

'If arrangements for rainwater harvesting are not made, BWSSB will not sanction fresh connections,' reads a circular issued two months ago by the Chairman of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to all executive engineers. The engineers have to ensure that builders and owners of new buildings first put a rainwater harvesting system in place before they seek a water supply connection.The interest in rainwater harvesting over the past few months has been unprecedented in Bangalore, from not only government authorities but also ordinary residents, especially in the new Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike areas where water pipes have not yet been laid and groundwater is depleted.Impending water crisisThis is in anticipation of 'a clear and impending water crisis', according to S. Vishwanath of Rainwater Harvesting Club.'I used to receive no more than two calls a week from residents inquiring about rainwater harvesting. But over the last three months I have been receiving at least 25 emails and phone calls every day from residents,' says Mr. Vishwanath, and he estimates that Bangalore has at least 5,000 buildings with rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems. (snip)

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The Hindu : Front Page : Fluorosis-hit villages to get clean water

The Hindu : Front Page : Fluorosis-hit villages to get clean water: "

The residents of villages in 11 north Karnataka districts suffering from fluorosis will get clean water only after a year or so when the Government implements 34 schemes under the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Project.The cost of the project is Rs. 152 crore.Minister for Rural Water Supply and Sugar S.A. Ravindranath told presspersons here on Saturday that tenders had been invited for implementing the schemes and the process would be over in a month. (snip)

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Is Water the Next Oil?

Is Water the Next Oil?: "

Is water the next oil? Motives behind the question vary, depending on who asks the question.Those who see water as a future core commodity – therefore as profitable a prospect as oil – pose the question to create the right market conditions for water trade. Those who see the potential for conflict arising from scarcity compare diminishing freshwater to oil's depleting reserves. Those who see an environmental threat from mismanagement of water see parallels with the abuse and waste of oil. (snip)

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Rain refugees-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Rain refugees-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

JP Nagar V Phase: Houses are locked up, several residents are moving out. And if you are wondering whether this area has been hit by plague, you can be forgiven.For the problem is nothing short of the plague: Sewage flooding into homes!Fed up with dirty water swirling through their homes and dangerous open drains/ dug-up roads just outside, residents of this area have become 'rain refugees'. Though in the heart of hi-tech Bangalore, they have had to abandon their homes and relocate to other places. The problem is, these areas are prone to constant flooding during monsoon. The residents' routine: pump out sullage-mixed rainwater from their houses, and prepare for the next day's rain bout. (snip)

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Helplines for rain related crisis.The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Around the City

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Around the City: "

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has opened four control rooms to meet the rain related crisis in the City, and it will work round -the-clock. A release said the control rooms has been established at BTM Layout (22945151) in south, C.G.F. (22945129 & 22945240) in north, Indiranagar (22945164) in east and Hosahalli (22945186) in west. Public may contact the control rooms in case of emergency, it added.

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Utilise rainwater & pay up-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Utilise rainwater & pay up-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

Ensure your building is equipped with rainwater harvesting technology in the next few months. If not, local authorities will fix one in your building and bill you the expenses.A Bill, making it mandatory for all existing buildings — residential and commercial — in urban and rural areas to equip with water harvesting technology has been prepared by the minor irrigation department.This will be tabled in the next legislature session.And it is timely, for Karnataka is considered one of the worst states which has not regulated use of groundwater resources in the country.Once passed by the legislature, a Karnataka Groundwater Authority will be established, which will make it mandatory for users of groundwater through wells or borewells to register themselves within 120 days after the authority is set up. (snip)

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Climate change centre mooted The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Climate change centre mooted: "

Both natural and man-made causes have put Karnataka in a precarious situation as far as groundwater security is concerned, but the irony is that groundwater continues to remain the main source of drinking water, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil has said.Speaking at a workshop on 'Water famine in Karnataka and solutions', organised by the Legislative Council and the Karnataka State Planning Board, Mr. Patil said nearly 79 per cent of the State's land area was hard rock terrain, with very little groundwater availability.There were 51 taluks considered safe, while 102 taluks were semi-critical.As many as 22 taluks were in the critical category where groundwater had been fully exploited and nine taluks where it had been overexploited, he said.He proposed that a centre to study the impact of climate change be established to help farmers in drought-prone areas and protect the interests of the agriculture sector as well as conserve precious water resources. (snip)

"

Bangalore’s lakes: Choked by the IT web Tehelka - The People's Paper

Tehelka - The People's Paper: "

Bangalore is a global brand which signifies India's prowess in information technology. But the city that boasts of being the Silicon Valley and the Garden City is on the verge of disaster: its lifelines — lakes — are drying up.Five decades ago, there were more than 250 lakes which took care of the city's water needs and cooled the people during the summer. According to a study by the Centre for Ecological Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, only 17 lakes are alive today though state officials claim that it could be 64.Of the 17, at least three are fast drying up. The IISc team found that these lakes were being choked systematically and would eventually result in their disappearance. Sources say the city's water landscape that was 4.8 percent earlier has come down to 2 percent.The state government constituted an authority in 2002 to curb encroachment in lakes but it is too feebleCitizens groups and lay the blame on the real estate lobby which targets isolated water bodies to encroach upon given the city's ever-growing demand for commercial space. (snip)

"

Deccan Herald - Cabinet okays water works worth Rs 617 cr

Deccan Herald - Cabinet okays water works worth Rs 617 cr: "

The State cabinet which met in Bangalore on Monday accorded approval for 41 drinking water schemes at a cost of Rs 488.8 crore in 11 districts.Briefing media persons, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti said the schemes will be implemented in Belgaum, Bangalore Rural, Bijapur, Haveri, Chitradurga, Kolar, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Davanagere, Gadag and Mandya.The Cabinet also gave its approval for implementing the 11 drinking water supply schemes in six districts. The schemes would be implemented with an assistance of Rs 128.70 crore from the Centre. The districts are Belgaum, Bellary, Chikmmagalur, Mandya, Koppal and Davanagere. (snip)

"

Bombay Municipal Council Cybernoon.com

Cybernoon.com: "

A mismanagement of city water is as responsible for water shortage as bad infrastructurefor : Three controversial proposals will be discussed in the BMC standing committee meeting today. They are the water audit, Powai Garden beatification and development of a Dadar pumping station as a garden are to be brought up. These three proposals were first presented in the committee on April 11. But due to some reasons they were not taken up. And as per the rules if the committee does not take any decision, the proposals are considered to be automatically passed.

The most controversial proposal is to conduct a study of Mumbai's water supply system. This includes a water audit, computation of UFW and leak detection. Mumbai has been getting a piped water supply since 1868. Presently, Mumbai needs around 4,000 MLD of water supply, but the total water supply is 3,100 MLD. The proposal highlights that around 20 to 25 per cent water gets wasted daily due to these leakages," said the Hydraulic Engineer of the BMC.
"For the proposed work, an 'expression of Interest' (EoI) was invited from the Technical Service Providers (TSPs), which were registered by the Government of Maharashtra. An advertisement inviting an EoI from competent companies dealing in this field was also displayed on the BMC
website from October 20, 2005 to October 29, 2005 to ensure an enhanced global response. In answer to this, 7 consultants responded," the engineer added.
After following procedure only Shah Technical Consultants Private Limited qualified on October 26, 2006. So the proposal recommended that the agreement be signed with them. As per its proposal the company has experience in the field, having undertaken similar projects in Bangalore and Nagpur. However according to records, the present additional municipal Commissioner Manukumar Shrivastav was the head for seven years in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
Reliable sources in the BMC said, "The controversial proposal of a water audit, worth Rs. 77.68 crores will be the hot issue of debate in today's meeting. It may get rejected, as the proposal is very vague. Apart from this the same project is being done in the K/East ward for around Rs. 6.5 crores. However they took around 2 years to complete this project and are still yet to show ground results. This new audit too, may not have any results. So spending crores of rupees on studies, when we don't have infrastructure to implement the reforms, is a foolish thing."

"

'Wasteful' BWSSB fixing leaks-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

'Wasteful' BWSSB fixing leaks-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India: "

If Bangaloreans are hoping they'll get water supply everyday — as promised for some areas — they're sadly mistaken. The supply has now dwindled from once every alternate day to once in three days in some areas.BWSSB admits it is 'wasting' 300 million litres of water daily. That's a whopping 37 per cent of the total water supplied to Bangalore.'The prime reason for this loss is leakage through corroded pipes. We are working overtime to salvage the situation and an amount of Rs 400 crore has been earmarked to check this,' a BWSSB official said.While the average supply from Cauvery is 810 million litres a day (MLD) of treated water, Arkavathy provides about 20 per cent (135 MLD).

"

Government to release Rs. 65 cr. for Mysugar revival The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Government to release Rs. 65 cr. for Mysugar revival: "

The State Government has decided to release a grant of Rs. 65 crore to Mysore Sugar Company Ltd. (Mysugar) for its revival. The Government-owned factory is short of working capital.Addressing presspersons after a meeting with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Saturday, Minister for Transport N. Cheluvarayaswamy, who is in charge of Mandya district where the factory is located, said the Finance Department had agreed to release the amount for the revival of the sugar factory. A sum of Rs. 20 crore would be released in the first phase, of which Rs. 15 crore would be used to pay arrears to farmers and Rs. 5 crore to revive the factory.The Finance Department will release Rs. 20 crore more in June and Rs. 25 crore in August.The money will be utilised to install new machinery to improve efficiency. The losses sustained by the factory year after year have been attributed to antiquated machinery.The factory, which faces water scarcity in summer, has decided to get water from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said.

"

Water woes: The challenges

Water woes: The challenges: "

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the Himalayan glaciers are melting, with dire long-term consequences for water in the north. The newspaper headlines display the latest in the long running, still ongoing, Karnataka-Tamil Nadu dispute over the Cauvery. And the 40-plus degree heat in Delhi sends everyone running to the tanker trucks, handpumps, taps, or other water source.India has three interlinked sets of water woes: scarcity, institutional ambiguity, and, effectively, lack of infrastructure to distribute and recycle water. In a three part series, we intend to discuss the challenges, opportunities and policy priorities for addressing these issues. (snip)

"

Meltdown

Meltdown | Cover Story | Down To Earth magazine:

Till a couple of decades ago Bangalore was a sleepy city — running to the rhythm of old trading networks and retired people taking their evening constitutionals. All that changed when the city became the Silicon Valley of India. Invaded by technological giants and the ubiquitous techies, the urban culture changed — became hip and happening.

Unfortunately, the city’s infrastructure did not change fast enough. Certainly it did not change fast enough for those who were being displaced by the information revolution. Bangalore city started devouring surrounding villages, stretching basic facilities like sanitation and water supply. Mobility became the focus of skewed infrastructure development. Money is now going into flyovers, new mass transit systems and road widening, without much thought about the appropriateness of these ventures. The proposed international airport, the subject of some controversy, threatens to take over a massive amount of land without adequate recompense for the displaced.

The bigger problem is that as the city has grown, it has eaten up its natural drainage channels and the source of its water requirements. A wide network of lakes in Bangalore was important sources of water supply — they are now either repositories for sewage or have been developed for real estate projects. The same goes for wetlands and open areas outside Bangalore. It should hardly cause surprise that Bangalore experienced major floods last year — ironically they derailed transport sector projects, which will no doubt, over the years, further imperil the city. This paradigm of urban development is, however, not new. It holds true for all the major cities in the country. (snip)

City doesn’t dig too deep for basics,Down to earth, online

down to earth, online: "

Bangalore is thirsty and inundated with waste it can't deal with, but money goes into projects that deal with transport infrastructure.'While pumping and transporting 810 million litres per day (mld) water through an elevation of 500 metres, almost 30 to 40 per cent is lost.' And the amount of unaccounted for water is on a rise: from 29 per cent in 1995-96 to 39 per cent in 2003-04. To maintain pumping, 65 per cent of the Rs 353-crore budget of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is earmarked for electricity charges. While this is not enough to sustain the water supply target of 100 litres per capita per day (lpcd), another Rs 3,384 crore — the Cauvery IV scheme — is being implemented to supply an additional 500 mld water. In the last three and a half decades, Bangalore has already spent over Rs 1,710 crore in sourcing its water from Cauvery, which is bound to become more and more expensive in future. (snip)

"

Directing the waste to its useful end, The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Directing the waste to its useful end: "

In what could clean up the sewage-choked valleys of the city, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will soon take up linking of the main sewers to its treatment plants on the outskirts of the city.Instead of being directed to a treatment plant, the city's sewage flows into stormwater drains, which are meant to carry rainwater — one key reason why flooding is common during rains.Since the stormwater drains are linked to the city's lakes and the two rivers Arkavathy and Vrishabhavathi, it has polluted these water sources and contaminated ground water.Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the water board has submitted a project report to the Union Government for approval to remodel 80 km of main sewage lines, which lie along the seven valleys of the city, for Rs. 176.75 crore.
(snip)
The treatment plant at Koramangala and Challaghatta valleys treat 120 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage when its capacity is 248 MLD. The treatment plant at Hebbal treats 35 MLD when its capacity is 60 MLD, Mr. Basavaraj said.

The treatment plant at Yelahanka works at 5 MLD when its capacity is 10 MLD and Vrishabhavthi treatment plant treats only 110 MLD when 183 MLD is its total capacity.

"

Cauvery IV Stage-Phase II yet to get off ground - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

Cauvery IV Stage-Phase II yet to get off ground - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition: "

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has appointed a consultant to work out the nitty-gritty of the much-awaited Cauvery IVth Stage, II Phase project -- almost two years after the foundation stone was laid for the project.NJS, a Japan-based firm, was appointed as the consultant recently to, among other things, prepare the Detailed Project Report, designs for implementation at various phases, chalk out tender conditions, conduct geo-technical testing at the project site and work out the cost estimates, a top BWSSB official told Deccan Herald.Estimated to cost Rs 3,340 crore, the project -- supposed to have begun by end-2005 and completed by 2011 -- is expected to pump an additional 500 million litres per day (MLD) of water. (snip)

"

State’s pact may hit water supply

State’s pact may hit water supply - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal may have allocated a mere 1.75 tmc ft for drinking water purposes for the river basin areas in Karnataka but the state government has already promised two tmc ft of water to the townships of NICE from Cauvery water allocation!

Disclosing this to reporters here on Thursday, Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council H K Patil said if the legal procedures were strictly implemented, people of Bangalore and other areas of the Cauvery basin would be deprived of even this share of water. (snip)

Storm water drain remodelling makes little progress

The Hindu : Front Page : Storm water drain remodelling makes little progress

Though the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) realised early in the new millennium that the storm water drains in Bangalore city needed an overhaul, a project to achieve this has made little progress.

The initial efforts to remove silt from the storm water drains succeeded only marginally and the Mahanagara Palike had to think of a major project to improve the infrastructure. Rapid urbanisation has taken a toll of the storm water drains too, which have been encroached upon by real estate zealots. This and the dumping of waste in the drains by the people and the crumbling infrastructure have led to the flooding of the low-lying areas during heavy rain. The project called "remodelling of storm water drains" received its first budgetary allocation in 2002-03 when the Mahanagara Palike set aside Rs. 20 crore for it. However, that year the Mahanagara Palike could spend only about Rs. 1 crore. The project was taken up earnestly only in 2005-06 when the works were awarded to contractors. The initial cost of the project was estimated at Rs. 200 crore and it was revised to Rs. 418 crore.

After the project gathered momentum, Rs. 30 crore was spent. The BBMP plans to complete the project at a cost of Rs. 357 crore in this financial year. The contractors were given 18 months to complete it. Former officials of the Mahanagara Palike say that some of contractors have not shown the required progress. The former Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, alleged that the contractors were not penalised for the delay, though the contractual terms provided for that. The 18-month deadline was coming to an end but the actual progress was less than 30 per cent, Mr. Ramesh said.

(snip)

Rains bring enough water for 15 days

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rains bring enough water for 15 days

The persistent summer showers, especially on Saturday night, have not only brought respite from the summer heat but have come as godsend for a thirsty Bangalore.

According to the Meteorological Department, areas around Thippagondanahalli reservoir, situated in Magadi taluk, recorded a rainfall of 4 cm on Saturday. The rains have increased the water level at the reservoir by one foot and it now stands at about 17.5 feet, Venkataraju, Chief Engineer (Maintenance) of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, said on Sunday.

"This increase in water level will help us extend the pumping of water for additional 15 days," he added. He ruled out increasing the amount of water being pumped from the 35 million litres from the reservoir stating that the water level would have to be maintained till the end of May.

Before Saturday, the rains had only raised the water level two inches, which was just enough to serve the needs of the city for a day. These rains are an unexpected blessing to BWSSB, which is finding it difficult to provide equitable water supply. Usually, the BWSSB is dependent mainly on the rains in October and November for the reservoir to be filled up.

Mr. Venkatraju said that till the water level reached 12 feet, the BWSSB would continue to draw about 35 million litres per day. "If it goes below 12 feet, we will reduce pumping to about 25 million litres per day," he said. But the water supply in the city will not be affected. West, North and areas in the north-eastern parts of the city receive water from the reservoir.

These areas include Chandra Layout, Vijaynagar, Subramanyanagar, Srirampura, Nagappa Block, Gayathringar, Malleswaram, R.T. Nagar, Sanjay Nagar, Muthyala Nagar, D.J. Halli, and Pillana Gardens.

April 2007 - Rainfall in Bangalore

The recorded rainfall (ref:Dinakaran,Newspaper)

Apr 12 6.4 mm
Apr 13 10.5 mm
Apr 14 7.2 mm
Apr 19 6.8 mm
Apr 20 29.1 mm
Apr 21 5.8 mm
Apr 22 75.1 mm

Total 140.9 mm

City running out of ground water - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

City running out of ground water - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition: "

The groundwater situation is in a critical condition in Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Nelamangala, Bangalore East (Whitefield and adjoining areas) and Hoskote, according to officials from Department of Mines and Geology. Planning to invest in property in Bangalore? Make sure that there is adequate surface water supply and a provision for rain water harvesting because groundwater resources in both the Bangalore Urban and Rural districts are already in the red.In several residential areas, especially in Bangalore North and East, borewells are dry or on the verge of drying. Ironically, these areas, recording meteoric rise in land prices, are among the 'most critical' areas as far as groundwater is concerned.
(snip)

“The situation has worsened in the last three years. The average annual rainfall in the district is only 600 mm to 700 mm per year. Because of the drought in 2001, 2002 and 2003, groundwater recharge has been very low. Bangalore is entirely dependent on rainfall because it is built on a plateau, on different hydrological basins of South Pinakini and Cauvery rivers,” another officer from the Department of Mines and Geology said. “It’s time the government declared a five-year holiday to exploitation of groundwater.”

(snip)

According to the report on groundwater resources of Karnataka in March 2004 (the last five-yearly report on groundwater resources) by the Department of Mines and Geology, though the total annual groundwater recharge in Devanahalli was 6,496.65 hectares per metre (HAM), the gross groundwater draft for all uses was 14,294.31 HAM. In Bangalore North, the total annual groundwater recharge was 6,943 HAM and the overdraft was 13,132.21 HAM. In Bangalore South, the groundwater recharge was 6543.16 HAM and the overdraft was 11,856.63 HAM.

“The figures show that people have not only over-exploited groundwater, but have also drilled into the static water reserve, which should be used only in emergency situations,” said a department official.

"

Residents block Hosur Road demanding water supply, The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News :

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Residents block Hosur Road demanding water supply: "

The growing water crisis in Bangalore took another form with residents of Bommanahalli taking to the streets.Nearly two lakh people residing in different areas in Bommanahalli zone of BBMP such as Hongasandra, Chikkanahalli, Billekahlli, Garvebhavipalya, Vajpayeenagar and Shanthi Layout, had not received water for the last few months.To have the authorities pay heed to their grievances, the residents under the banner of Nagarilka Hitarakshana Vedike held up traffic on the busy Hosur Road for about 40 minutes, Lingaraju, member of the vedike, told The Hindu . 'We have been reduced to standing around as beggars and waiting for water late into the night. But it has not come for the past three months now,' said Gladys Perriera, a resident of Vajpayee Nagar and member of Democratic Youth Forum of India (DYFI).
(snip)
The poor are hit the hardest, with one pot of drinking water costing them a minimum of Rs. 2.
According to Mr. Lingaraju, the erstwhile Bommanahalli City Municipal Council (CMC) used to provide water to the residents through borewells it had dug. But indiscriminate drilling of borewells by private water suppliers reduced the availability in the CMC's borewells, he said.
"Many private water suppliers have drilled borewells up to 1,000 feet while most CMC borewells are about 300 to 500 feet deep," he said.
(snip)

"

3,000 villages face water shortage-Bangalore-Cities-NEWS-The Times of India

3,000 villages face water shortage-Bangalore-Cities-NEWS-The Times of India: "

Difficult to digest, but that's the reality — a whopping 3,000 villages in Karnataka will face shortage of drinking water this summer.The forecast, made at the deputy commissioners' conference chaired by CM H D Kumaraswamy here on Monday, is a hard blow to rural Karnataka which is already grappling with power cuts.'With rains having failed last year, drought situation prevails in 128 taluks. Ensuring drinking water supply would be a major problem in the coming days,' officials of the rural water supply department told the CM.

Though Rs 495 crore had been spent last year on installing 7,288 hand pumps and starting about 2,500 piped and mini water supply programmes, future would be grim, officials said.

"

‘Drying up borewells have left us high & dry’ - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

‘Drying up borewells have left us high & dry’ - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition: "

Drinking water is not easily available in Bangalore. No builder or developer would assure his customer he would provide Cauvery water in spite of City Municipal Council (CMC) areas and gram pachayats coming under the purview of Greater Bangalore.
If you fall under the higher income bracket and think you can lead a comfortable life by purchasing a luxury apartment in the newly-added areas of Bangalore, they you could be wrong. For, drinking water is not easily available. No builder or developer would assure his customer he would provide Cauvery water in spite of City Municipal Council (CMC) areas and gram pachayats coming under the purview of Greater Bangalore.

"

All hopes rest on April showers:The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : All hopes rest on April showers: "

As temperatures in Bangalore unrelentingly hover around 36 degrees Celsius in April, all hopes rest on the summer showers. Horticulturalists and florists long to see their wilting crops revive, and long-time residents of Bangalore want their 'air-conditioned city' back.The April rains or 'mango showers' as they are called are a result of thunderstorms over the Bay of Bengal and normally come in the second half of the month. They have a cooling effect on the city.However, these summer rains are most difficult to predict, according to the Meteorological Centre Director, G.S. Vijayaraghavan.Mr. Vijayaraghavan, pointing to the rainfall figures for the past five years, said rainfall in April was as high as 324 mm in 2001, and as low as 9 mm in 2002. The 'average' rainfall for April was approximately 46 mm, with just three rainy days.

"
see the figure below for Variation in April over the years

Planning & Development Laws covering Bangalore Metropolitan Area

source: http://www.karnataka.gov.in/dpal/index-alpha.htm
All links (pdf) are mirrored, as the Govt site is slow...

THE KARNATAKA TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1961

THE BANGALORE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ACT, 1976

THE BANGALORE METROPOLITAN REGION DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ACT, 1985

THE BANGALORE CITY PLANNING AREA ZONAL REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT AND VALIDATION) ACT, 1996.

MUNICIPAL LAWS
* The Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976
* The Karnataka Municipal Councils Act, 1964

LAW RELATING TO LAND & ACCOMMODATION
¤ The Land Acquisition Act, 1894, Acquisition of Land for Grant of House Sites Act, 1972
¤ The Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961
¤ The Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964
¤ The Urban Land Ceiling & Regulation Act, 1976 - REPEALED vide
Urban Land (Ceiling & Regulation Act 1999)
¤ The Karnataka Housing Board Act, 1973
¤ The Karnataka Rent Control Act, 1962 - AMENDED by the Karnataka
Rent Act 1999
¤ The Karnataka Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1973
¤ The Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972
¤ The Karnataka Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants)
Act, 1971
¤ The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act, 1966

POLLUTION CONTROL LAWS
* Ground Water (Regulation for Protection of Sources of Drinking Water) Act, 1999
¤ The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
¤ The Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
¤ The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
* The Karnataka Parks, Play- Fields and Open Spaces (Preservation and Regulation) Act, 1985 (16 of 1985) 42 of 2003.
* The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1964
* The Karnataka prohibition of smoking and protection of health of non-smokers Act, 2001
* The Karnataka open places (prevention of disfigurement) Act, 1981

OTHER LAWS
¤ The Indian Registration Act, 1908
¤ The Karnataka Police Act, 1963
¤ The Motor Vehicles Act, 1939
¤ The Cinematography Act, 1952
¤ The National Highways Act, 1988
¤ The Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957
* The Karnataka Highways Act, 1964