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.

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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.

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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)

"

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.

"

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)

"

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)

"