TG Halli level goes down; get set for dry taps - Bangalore - City - The Times of India

TG Halli level goes down; get set for dry taps - Bangalore - City - The Times of India

TG Halli level goes down; get set for dry taps
Jayashree Nandi, TNN, Feb 17, 2010, 02.14am IST

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Tags:mld|bwssb|bangalore

BANGALORE: With summer setting in, fears of water scarcity is becoming a reality. The level at the TG Halli reservoir has gone down to 20 feet against its total capacity of 74 feet. BWSSB used to draw 60 MLD (million litres per day) of water from here.

The BWSSB has decided to stop drawing water from TG Halli when the level hits 15 feet as doing so it will disturb the ecology of the water body. "The reason for ecological disturbance is encroachment of catchment areas. It has been happening for many years, and now there is no water," a BWSSB official told TOI.

TG Halli supplies water to west Bangalore, including Rajajinagar and Basaveshwaranagar. Presently, the BWSSB draws 30 MLD. Though BWSSB officials say they will manage water supply even without the T G Halli source, experts are worried as the Cauvery might not be able to cover Greater Bangalore. The Cauvery reservoir level has gone down to 116.45 feet from 124.80 feet.

"It is a known fact that all our water bodies have been highly silted. The capacity has declined hugely. That is why irrigation tanks get filled immediately after rain and overflow, leading to flooding. With impact of climate change becoming more prominent, this will only intensify. All the catchments have degraded," says IISc professor N H Ravindranath.

Many are looking at rejuvenation of lakes as a solution to drinking water problem. "All the lakes in Bangalore are polluted. I don't think they can be used for drinking purposes. The only reason why they need to be maintained is because they will recharge the groundwater level. There are only two things that can help solve this problem. Most important is rejuvenation of catchment areas by afforestation; the other is desilting of water bodies,'' the professor adds.


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