In tech city, a 1-km trek for water

In tech city, a 1-km trek for water

BANGALORE: In a case of one man’s thirst feeding another man’s greed, the domestic consumers of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board at Kurubarahalli in the city are making some cool money out of their water-starved neighbours in Laggere. The going rate is Rs 2 a pot and the authorities are clueless.

Borewells in Laggere are defunct and the water supplied by the private tankers is unfit for drinking. Residents trek a kilometre to Kurubarahalli where a few households which have BWSSB supply trade them a few pots of water.

Kanaka, a resident of Laggere said, “There are about three to four houses selling BWSSB water. We buy at least 30 to 40 pots from each house daily.” BWSSB chief engineer T Venkatraju told Express, “We supply borewell water to some areas. If the people want to buy corporation water, we cannot stop them from buying it. Our domestic consumers cannot resell water, but under these circumstances we have to be lenient.’’ BWSSB has laid a public tap in Kurubarahalli 17th Cross, but it is not sufficient to meet the needs of the residents in Choudeshwarinagar, Laggere, Freedom Fighter’s Colony and Kempegowdanagar.

The Board also pumps water from borewells in the nearby areas, but residents find it unfit for drinking and water also does not reach this elevated terrain.

For all other purposes other than drinking, residents of Laggere rely on tankers at Rs 200 a load.

Srinivas, a resident of Freedom Fighter’s Colony sought to draw attention to the spill-off problems. “It is difficult to find tenants. Because of the water problem, tenants come and go every few months. We buy at least eight tankers of water a month and even that is not sufficient. People have to attend to their children and go out early in the morning to fetch water,’’ he said.

Padma, said their complaints have not been heard. Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA M Srinivas said, “I have told the residents of Laggere that I will solve their problems. The pipelines are already laid, we supplied water for some days. People in the low-lying areas have dug up big sumps and therefore people residing in the elevated areas do not get water. So we have stopped water supply for now. I will speak to the BWSSB authorities to ensure water supply to Laggere is resumed at the earliest,’’ he said.