Tanker water all the way - Bangalore - City - The Times of India
Tanker water all the way
TNN, Feb 22, 2010, 01.45am IST
Article
Comments (10)
Tags:water supply|bwssb
BANGALORE: The Outer Ring Road is dotted with huge high-rises. These sprawling apartments are not covered by the BWSSB yet, and their borewells are drying.
Not just these apartments. The residents of erstwhile City Municipal Councils (CMCs) are yet to get Cauvery water supply. So they totally depend on private suppliers and shell out as much as Rs 8 lakh per month! In the city, residents pay anything between Rs 600 and Rs 1,000 per month.
Most of the apartment complexes on Sarjapur Road, Bellandur junction area, Bannerghatta Road, Whitefield and Marathalli depend on borewell water. But since these wells go dry, the residents and the management of the complexes turn to private water suppliers. Now with the sweltering heat on, the water scarcity has become more pronounced.
"How can the authorities give clearance to these huge apartments without any surety of water supply? BDA had approved the construction of this apartment on the basis of assurance from BWSSB. We purchased the apartment in 2003. BWSSB had assured to give water in 2004. Till date there is no water. We are on a rocky terrain and so cannot access borewell water. All we can do is buy tanker water. We need 70 to 80 tankers every day to sustain these 550 apartments. We know that the sources of the tanker water might not be reliable. But what do we do?," questions Raj Ramchandani, management committee member, Springfields apartments near Outer Ring Road.
Presently, he is taking help from the local leaders to drill borewells somewhere close by.
There are other apartments too which rely on borewells. "We depend only on borewell water. The BWSSB water supply does not cover our area. Earlier borewellls would yield adequate water. But in eight years, many apartments have come up leading to less pressure. This means our borewells are drying," says Ashok Ramaswami, president, RWA, Sobha Garnet, on Sarjapur Road.
They have a rainwater recharge system but not a rainwater storage sump yet. With the BWSSB legislation of mandatory rainwater harvesting coming into place, these apartments will have to pull up their socks soon.
The Sun City is another huge apartment block near Sarjapur Road where water shortage looms. With around 1,300 apartments, the consumption is around 10 lakh litres to 12 lakh litres per day. The building authorities are also worried that people are not paying heed to the looming water disaster.
Adding to their woes is eight to nine hours of power cuts. This has the DG sets running for hours to pump water from borewells. "On some days we have to spend as much as Rs 50,000 on diesel to pump water. And we do not charge for water. You can imagine the financial strain," he said.
The apartments are looking at alternatives. Sobha Garnet has a groundwater recharge system and specific car washing days and timings and marked days for landscaping and gardening. Sun City has a sewage treatment plant (STP) that recycles around 25,000 litres per day which is then used for watering the garden. The private water suppliers are making a killing. When TOI contacted some water tanker suppliers, they quoted anything between Rs 450 and Rs 600 for one load of water tanker supply. They said each tanker holds approximately 6,500 litres of water and can be used by 80 to 100 people.
If one goes by their claim, an apartment complex housing 1,500 families needs on an average 40 tankers, spending Rs 20,000 on water alone per day. This would in turn cost Rs 6 lakh per month for an apartment complex keeping the prices at minimum.
While BWSSB officials maintain that the Litre Per Capita Demand (LPCD) is about 120 litres and they supply around 120 litres in the city, residents complain that the water supply is not adequate. According to Raj Ramchandani, managing committee member of Springfields apartment complex on Outer Ring Road which is mainly dependent on tanker water supply, the water suppliers have formed unions.
NO LAW
The flourishing water supply business has also led to the indiscriminate drilling of borewells. But the authorities are yet to check the rampant private water supply business or the drilling which contributes to the groundwater depletion. A BWSSB official said: "There is no law to restrict private water tanker supply business.
At most the BBMP health officials can take action against them if they supply unhygienic water. The Karnataka Ground Water (Regulation for protection of drinking water sources) draft bill formulated in 1999 is yet to see the light of the day, the official said. The Act proposes to restrict the drilling of borewells within 500 metres of public water source.
Read more: Tanker water all the way - Bangalore - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Tanker-water-all-the-way/articleshow/5601217.cms#ixzz0yjY0Rj8z
Monday, September 6, 2010
Power cuts could choke water supply too | | | Indian Express
Power cuts could choke water supply too | | | Indian Express
Power cuts could choke water supply too
Express News Service First Published : 20 Feb 2010 06:48:02 AM ISTLast Updated : 20 Feb 2010 08:37:36 AM IST
BANGALORE: The water supply to the city might be affected this summer not only because there is very less water in Thippagondana Halli Reservoir but also due to irregular power supply and power cuts.
If the frequency of power supply goes below 50 cycles per second, the pumping capacity of the motors decrease and it reduces the water supply to the city. Every day around 810 MLD of Cauvery water is pumped to the city through Torekadanahalli, Harohalli and Tataguni pumping stations and around 57 pumps of different capacities pump water to the city round the clock.
Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) draws power from the Central Grid at Somanahalli on Kanakpura Road and supplies the same through a separate line to these pumping stations.
The water is diverted to 48 ground level reservoirs (GLRs) after it reaches the city and is pumped through 58 pumps to the consumers from there. The functioning of these pumps is also frequently interrupted due to power cuts. Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) also supplies water to the newly-added areas of the city through over 7,000 borewells.
A BWSSB official said, "There will be nearly 10 per cent less water supply in the city due to power fluctuations and that is a setback for us as the demand for water will be high during summer.
Those who buy water from other sources should buy it from the suppliers who are certified by the government laboratories or accredited laboratories and supply in EPI-coated tankers.’’ BESCOM Managing Director Tushar Girinath said, "BWSSB has given us the list of their installations. We will ensure continuous power supply to these installations wherever they are connected to a separate feeder. It is practically impossible to assure uninteruppted power supply to the borewells as there is acute shortage of power in the state".
A KPTCL official said, "We draw power from the central grid, which is common for all the southern states. We have been supplying 220 KV power to the BWSSB and we will continue to do that as long as we get it from the grid.’’ m madhusudhan@expressbuzz.com
Power cuts could choke water supply too
Express News Service First Published : 20 Feb 2010 06:48:02 AM ISTLast Updated : 20 Feb 2010 08:37:36 AM IST
BANGALORE: The water supply to the city might be affected this summer not only because there is very less water in Thippagondana Halli Reservoir but also due to irregular power supply and power cuts.
If the frequency of power supply goes below 50 cycles per second, the pumping capacity of the motors decrease and it reduces the water supply to the city. Every day around 810 MLD of Cauvery water is pumped to the city through Torekadanahalli, Harohalli and Tataguni pumping stations and around 57 pumps of different capacities pump water to the city round the clock.
Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) draws power from the Central Grid at Somanahalli on Kanakpura Road and supplies the same through a separate line to these pumping stations.
The water is diverted to 48 ground level reservoirs (GLRs) after it reaches the city and is pumped through 58 pumps to the consumers from there. The functioning of these pumps is also frequently interrupted due to power cuts. Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) also supplies water to the newly-added areas of the city through over 7,000 borewells.
A BWSSB official said, "There will be nearly 10 per cent less water supply in the city due to power fluctuations and that is a setback for us as the demand for water will be high during summer.
Those who buy water from other sources should buy it from the suppliers who are certified by the government laboratories or accredited laboratories and supply in EPI-coated tankers.’’ BESCOM Managing Director Tushar Girinath said, "BWSSB has given us the list of their installations. We will ensure continuous power supply to these installations wherever they are connected to a separate feeder. It is practically impossible to assure uninteruppted power supply to the borewells as there is acute shortage of power in the state".
A KPTCL official said, "We draw power from the central grid, which is common for all the southern states. We have been supplying 220 KV power to the BWSSB and we will continue to do that as long as we get it from the grid.’’ m madhusudhan@expressbuzz.com
City short on water too; monsoon’s the only hope | | | Indian Express
City short on water too; monsoon’s the only hope | | | Indian Express
City short on water too; monsoon’s the only hope
NR Madhusudhan First Published : 19 Feb 2010 03:58:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 19 Feb 2010 09:15:48 AM IST
BANGALORE: Will it be a difficult summer for Bangaloreans this time? The answer is yes at least for the areas that were added to the city not long ago.
The situation is likely to improve only by the end of 2011 when the Cauvery IV stage II phase project is scheduled to be completed and the city will get an additional 500 million litres per day (MLD) and Cauvery water can be supplied to even the far flung areas.
The growing demand for water in the city and the depleting ground water levels are making the job of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) that much more difficult.
Apart from the mantra of judicious and equitable distribution to the different parts of the city, BWSSB chairman PB Ramamurthy stresses the need for all households to instal rainwater harvesting systems that was made mandatory recently.
Rainwater harvesting recharges groundwater, besides taking off the burden on BWSSB, he explains.
For the time being though, the areas on the outskirts will get their supply from the borewells. Before being merged with the city, these areas got their water supply from as many as 6,000 borewells.
To augment the supply, BWSSB got 1,536 new borewells sunk in 2008-09. It has got permission to sink 1,000 more this summer.
This time, BWSSB plans area-wise strategies to ensure equitable distribution of the available water. For this, it will be conducting division-level meetings.
On an average, the city consumes 1,200 MLD of water and BWSSB pitches in with 870 MLD, while the rest of the supply comes from private distribution agencies.
With the demand increasing substantially during summer and BWSSB having no additional water sources, it faces an unenviable task every summer.
BWSSB pumps water to the city from Torekadanahalli and Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) reservoirs. Cauvery water is released from the Kabini reservoir to Shiva Anicut and from there it is diverted to Torekadanahalli, where it is treated.
From Torekadanahalli, the water is pumped to the city through the Harohalli and Tataguni pumping stations.
The water is then routed to the 48 ground level reservoirs (GLRs) in different parts of the city, before it makes its way to the households and other establishments.
“At present, we are getting 810 MLD of water from all the four stages of the Cauvery water project. Around 60 MLD of treated water is pumped to the city from TG Halli,” Ramamurthy said.
In addition to all these efforts, BWSSB will be hoping for early rains so that there is no major problem this summer.
feedback@expressbuzz.com
City short on water too; monsoon’s the only hope
NR Madhusudhan First Published : 19 Feb 2010 03:58:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 19 Feb 2010 09:15:48 AM IST
BANGALORE: Will it be a difficult summer for Bangaloreans this time? The answer is yes at least for the areas that were added to the city not long ago.
The situation is likely to improve only by the end of 2011 when the Cauvery IV stage II phase project is scheduled to be completed and the city will get an additional 500 million litres per day (MLD) and Cauvery water can be supplied to even the far flung areas.
The growing demand for water in the city and the depleting ground water levels are making the job of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) that much more difficult.
Apart from the mantra of judicious and equitable distribution to the different parts of the city, BWSSB chairman PB Ramamurthy stresses the need for all households to instal rainwater harvesting systems that was made mandatory recently.
Rainwater harvesting recharges groundwater, besides taking off the burden on BWSSB, he explains.
For the time being though, the areas on the outskirts will get their supply from the borewells. Before being merged with the city, these areas got their water supply from as many as 6,000 borewells.
To augment the supply, BWSSB got 1,536 new borewells sunk in 2008-09. It has got permission to sink 1,000 more this summer.
This time, BWSSB plans area-wise strategies to ensure equitable distribution of the available water. For this, it will be conducting division-level meetings.
On an average, the city consumes 1,200 MLD of water and BWSSB pitches in with 870 MLD, while the rest of the supply comes from private distribution agencies.
With the demand increasing substantially during summer and BWSSB having no additional water sources, it faces an unenviable task every summer.
BWSSB pumps water to the city from Torekadanahalli and Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) reservoirs. Cauvery water is released from the Kabini reservoir to Shiva Anicut and from there it is diverted to Torekadanahalli, where it is treated.
From Torekadanahalli, the water is pumped to the city through the Harohalli and Tataguni pumping stations.
The water is then routed to the 48 ground level reservoirs (GLRs) in different parts of the city, before it makes its way to the households and other establishments.
“At present, we are getting 810 MLD of water from all the four stages of the Cauvery water project. Around 60 MLD of treated water is pumped to the city from TG Halli,” Ramamurthy said.
In addition to all these efforts, BWSSB will be hoping for early rains so that there is no major problem this summer.
feedback@expressbuzz.com
Reuters AlertNet - Rainwater harvesting helps ease water shortages in Bangalore
Reuters AlertNet - Rainwater harvesting helps ease water shortages in Bangalore
Rainwater harvesting helps ease water shortages in Bangalore
18 Feb 2010 13:22:00 GMT
Written by: AlertNet correspondent
Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley, has seen a huge increase in new construction in recent years, leading to worsening water shortages. REUTERS/Stringer
By Marianne de Nazareth
Marianne de Nazareth, who is based in Bangalore, India, is a freelance journalist with an interest in climate change issues.
BANGALORE, India (AlertNet) - With the population soaring in this capital of India's Silicon Valley, water is running out. As wide green gardens have been replaced with apartment blocks, boreholes have been running dry and many residents now buy their water on a daily basis from tanker trucks that creep through the city's notorious traffic.
But on the outskirts of the city, an innovative rainwater harvesting effort is recharging the area's depleted groundwater, suggesting how cities around the world might be able to ward off what some analysts fear will be increasing conflict over water shortages.
"With the population literally bursting out of the city's seams and water getting scarce, the need of the hour is to employ rainwater harvesting on a war footing," said Jeff D'Lemos, a retired engineer and rainwater harvesting specialist who is spearheading the project.
In Bangalore's Bellandur district, open fields have over the last three years been replaced with a sea of apartment blocks. Because city water lines don't yet run to the area, residents buy their water by the tanker truckload.
'NO WONDER ALL THE WELLS ARE DRY'
Residents used to draw water from wells. But now "each apartment block has 30 flats so we can look at an average of 120 people living in one building," D'Lemos said. If each person uses 100 litres per day, "no wonder all the bore wells around are going dry."
The solution may lie in rainwater harvesting, which has recently been made mandatory for all new housing construction in Bangalore, according to John Furtado, a city planner.
D'Lemos, who worked many years in the Middle East, is leading a push to gain acceptance of the technology in Bangalore by installing some of the early systems at prices just over cost.
He recently finished putting in place pipes to harvest the rainwater from the roof of one large private house in the district. The water discharges into a sump which is used to recharge the house's dry well.
"The geology of Bangalore's soil is clay on top, soft rock lower, medium rock below that and granite at the bottom," D'Lemos explains. "Therefore one cannot just dig shallow holes where the rain collects and expect that to replenish the water table. The clay soil prevents that. So, there are three options to harvest rain water," he said.
Rainwater can be collected off the roofs of houses and sent to fill an underground sump, or directed to recharge the borehole. A third option is to channelise the water into an open well, D'Lemos said.
From a rooftop area of 200 square meters, the house recently fitted with rainwater harvesting pipes should collect 16,000 liters of rainfall a year if Banglore sees average rainfall of a meter a year, D'Lemos said.
In a nearby apartment block, a water tanker unloads water for residents. They used to need to buy two tankers each day to survive, said Santosh Hebbar, one of the residents, at a cost of $700 a month.
COST OF BUYING WATER CUT BY HALF
"Now with Jeff setting up the rainwater harvesting system, in just a few days we have cut down buying two tankers to one ... In a matter of a few months all our investment in the system will be recovered," Hebbar said.
The project is so new, however, that it is still "very difficult to convince the residents about the efficacy of the project," he said.
He strongly supports making rainwater harvesting mandatory in India.
"In Detroit in the United States, which I just visited, in the Ford (Motors) plant all the roofs are covered with lawns which suck in the rain like sponges and the water is directed to a filtration system. The factory received a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) award for the effort," Hebbar said.
The rainwater harvesting systems are expected to ease pressure on the Bangalore Municipal Corporation, which has seen a huge volume of requests for new water supply connections as the city expands. The systems may also provide a means to help the southern Indian city cope with the more varied and intense rainfall that is expected as climate change takes hold.
D'Lemos hopes rainwater harvesting will take off in popularity after residents see the value of the early systems he has installed.
"I want to start a movement here in Bangalore, a self help movement, to educate people to help themselves," he said. Plentiful rain in Bangalore recently presents an opportunity "to capture that plenty and recharge the water table that we have been depleting for 40 years."
Reuters AlertNet is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Rainwater harvesting helps ease water shortages in Bangalore
18 Feb 2010 13:22:00 GMT
Written by: AlertNet correspondent
Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley, has seen a huge increase in new construction in recent years, leading to worsening water shortages. REUTERS/Stringer
By Marianne de Nazareth
Marianne de Nazareth, who is based in Bangalore, India, is a freelance journalist with an interest in climate change issues.
BANGALORE, India (AlertNet) - With the population soaring in this capital of India's Silicon Valley, water is running out. As wide green gardens have been replaced with apartment blocks, boreholes have been running dry and many residents now buy their water on a daily basis from tanker trucks that creep through the city's notorious traffic.
But on the outskirts of the city, an innovative rainwater harvesting effort is recharging the area's depleted groundwater, suggesting how cities around the world might be able to ward off what some analysts fear will be increasing conflict over water shortages.
"With the population literally bursting out of the city's seams and water getting scarce, the need of the hour is to employ rainwater harvesting on a war footing," said Jeff D'Lemos, a retired engineer and rainwater harvesting specialist who is spearheading the project.
In Bangalore's Bellandur district, open fields have over the last three years been replaced with a sea of apartment blocks. Because city water lines don't yet run to the area, residents buy their water by the tanker truckload.
'NO WONDER ALL THE WELLS ARE DRY'
Residents used to draw water from wells. But now "each apartment block has 30 flats so we can look at an average of 120 people living in one building," D'Lemos said. If each person uses 100 litres per day, "no wonder all the bore wells around are going dry."
The solution may lie in rainwater harvesting, which has recently been made mandatory for all new housing construction in Bangalore, according to John Furtado, a city planner.
D'Lemos, who worked many years in the Middle East, is leading a push to gain acceptance of the technology in Bangalore by installing some of the early systems at prices just over cost.
He recently finished putting in place pipes to harvest the rainwater from the roof of one large private house in the district. The water discharges into a sump which is used to recharge the house's dry well.
"The geology of Bangalore's soil is clay on top, soft rock lower, medium rock below that and granite at the bottom," D'Lemos explains. "Therefore one cannot just dig shallow holes where the rain collects and expect that to replenish the water table. The clay soil prevents that. So, there are three options to harvest rain water," he said.
Rainwater can be collected off the roofs of houses and sent to fill an underground sump, or directed to recharge the borehole. A third option is to channelise the water into an open well, D'Lemos said.
From a rooftop area of 200 square meters, the house recently fitted with rainwater harvesting pipes should collect 16,000 liters of rainfall a year if Banglore sees average rainfall of a meter a year, D'Lemos said.
In a nearby apartment block, a water tanker unloads water for residents. They used to need to buy two tankers each day to survive, said Santosh Hebbar, one of the residents, at a cost of $700 a month.
COST OF BUYING WATER CUT BY HALF
"Now with Jeff setting up the rainwater harvesting system, in just a few days we have cut down buying two tankers to one ... In a matter of a few months all our investment in the system will be recovered," Hebbar said.
The project is so new, however, that it is still "very difficult to convince the residents about the efficacy of the project," he said.
He strongly supports making rainwater harvesting mandatory in India.
"In Detroit in the United States, which I just visited, in the Ford (Motors) plant all the roofs are covered with lawns which suck in the rain like sponges and the water is directed to a filtration system. The factory received a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) award for the effort," Hebbar said.
The rainwater harvesting systems are expected to ease pressure on the Bangalore Municipal Corporation, which has seen a huge volume of requests for new water supply connections as the city expands. The systems may also provide a means to help the southern Indian city cope with the more varied and intense rainfall that is expected as climate change takes hold.
D'Lemos hopes rainwater harvesting will take off in popularity after residents see the value of the early systems he has installed.
"I want to start a movement here in Bangalore, a self help movement, to educate people to help themselves," he said. Plentiful rain in Bangalore recently presents an opportunity "to capture that plenty and recharge the water table that we have been depleting for 40 years."
Reuters AlertNet is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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
Article
Comments (1)
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.
Read more: TG Halli level goes down; get set for dry taps - Bangalore - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/TG-Halli-level-goes-down-get-set-for-dry-taps/articleshow/5582048.cms#ixzz0yjXe2qvN
TG Halli level goes down; get set for dry taps
Jayashree Nandi, TNN, Feb 17, 2010, 02.14am IST
Article
Comments (1)
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.
Read more: TG Halli level goes down; get set for dry taps - Bangalore - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/TG-Halli-level-goes-down-get-set-for-dry-taps/articleshow/5582048.cms#ixzz0yjXe2qvN
Dwindling water spells opportunity for purification firms - Economy and Politics - livemint.com
Dwindling water spells opportunity for purification firms - Economy and Politics - livemint.com
Dwindling water spells opportunity for purification firms
Water purification companies in India have concentrated on only refining potable water, or increasing its purity levels for industrial applications
Jacob P. Koshy
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New Delhi: India’s dwindling water resources spell opportunity for purification companies as people living in homes seek to monitor consumption and recycle what they use.
Even as groundwater levels decline and governments implement stricter policies on the efficient use of what’s available, such businesses are looking beyond the industrial segment, which is estimated at $700 million (Rs3,234 crore).
Software company Wipro Ltd, which launched its venture in the business in 2008, completed its first residential waste water recycling project in Bangalore earlier this month. The Sushruta Vishranthi Dhama, a retirement complex, has 250 residences and is the first such undertaking by the company outside its campus.
“It’s still niche, but in less than five years, we expect water treatment facilities at townships and condominiums to grow 15% annually, on par with the market for industrial water treatment,” said Hariprasad Hegde, vice-president and business head, Wipro Water.
The company is in talks with “a dozen other residential townships” for water treatment projects, Hegde said, without giving details.
Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
Typically, water purification companies in India have concentrated on only refining potable water, or increasing its purity levels for industrial applications. The focus now, say companies, is to get houses to reuse water in toilets, for washing and for gardening.
“These three activities are 85% of the water consumed by a household, and now when governments are passing new guidelines limiting the water available to SEZs (special economic zones), malls and townships aren’t far behind,” said Sudeep Nadkarnee, sales and marketing manager with Aquanomics Systems Ltd, a Pune-based water purification systems company. “That’s the next big boom.”
An industry report pegs the present residential water treatment market at $100 million.
India’s water woes are set to escalate. A 2007 report by the government, called the Trombay Symposium on Desalination and Water Reuse, which formed the basis of a Supreme Court directive to increase efficiency, said that water resource management “is going to be the most serious problem that the country will be facing in the 21st century”.
According to a Planning Commission report, India’s annual rainfall is 4,000 trillion litres, of which only 1,869 trillion litres is usable. Of this, less than 1,123 million litres is actually put to use and the rest is wasted.
Groundwater, which accounts for 433 million litres, contributes 70-80% of that used in farms, around four-fifths of the supply in rural areas and around 50% of that used in urban areas and by industry in India.
Climate change, the Trombay report says, already accounts for a 20% increase in water scarcity, with the remaining 80% being due to population increase and economic development leading to water pollution.
Demand for fresh water by the industrial sector rose from 3% of availability in 1990 to 4% in 2000 and will be up to 11.5% in 2025. Irrigation demand is projected to decline from 84% in 2000 to 73% in 2025, the report adds.
Meanwhile, contamination in rivers and lakes and inefficient treatment plants prevent surface water in rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna from being effectively utilized.
Complementary to the water purification business are companies such as Germany-based Techem Energy Services Gmbh, one of the largest metering companies in the world.
Florian Angerer, who heads the firm’s India operations, said metering India’s booming, unchecked residential water consumption is a potential moneymaker.
Techem, which monitors water consumption using radio frequency identification technologies, currently charges €20-30 (Rs1,260-1,890) per month per house in European countries for their services, and is confident that Indian consumers will pay similar rates.
“Our experience in 20 countries has shown that metering water consumption reduces citizen’s water bills by 30%. So when water is eventually scarce, consumers will definitely pay,” Angerer said.
He added that Pune would be among the first cities to avail of their technology though he didn’t announce specific tie-ups with residential complexes, or expected annual revenues.
The market would be confined to a niche unless strong laws limit water supply to households, said S. Sudeep, who heads Norit India, a subsidiary of the Norit Group, a water purification company.
“We need much greater levels of awareness,” he said. “Currently only those complexes that have over 150 houses may consider it viable. The investments are too high.”
Hegde estimates that a complex with 100 households consumes 50,000 litres per day, requiring a Rs20 lakh investment, which when compared with tanker supply and maintenance would pay for itself in less than two years.
jacob.k@livemint.com
Dwindling water spells opportunity for purification firms
Water purification companies in India have concentrated on only refining potable water, or increasing its purity levels for industrial applications
Jacob P. Koshy
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New Delhi: India’s dwindling water resources spell opportunity for purification companies as people living in homes seek to monitor consumption and recycle what they use.
Even as groundwater levels decline and governments implement stricter policies on the efficient use of what’s available, such businesses are looking beyond the industrial segment, which is estimated at $700 million (Rs3,234 crore).
Software company Wipro Ltd, which launched its venture in the business in 2008, completed its first residential waste water recycling project in Bangalore earlier this month. The Sushruta Vishranthi Dhama, a retirement complex, has 250 residences and is the first such undertaking by the company outside its campus.
“It’s still niche, but in less than five years, we expect water treatment facilities at townships and condominiums to grow 15% annually, on par with the market for industrial water treatment,” said Hariprasad Hegde, vice-president and business head, Wipro Water.
The company is in talks with “a dozen other residential townships” for water treatment projects, Hegde said, without giving details.
Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
Typically, water purification companies in India have concentrated on only refining potable water, or increasing its purity levels for industrial applications. The focus now, say companies, is to get houses to reuse water in toilets, for washing and for gardening.
“These three activities are 85% of the water consumed by a household, and now when governments are passing new guidelines limiting the water available to SEZs (special economic zones), malls and townships aren’t far behind,” said Sudeep Nadkarnee, sales and marketing manager with Aquanomics Systems Ltd, a Pune-based water purification systems company. “That’s the next big boom.”
An industry report pegs the present residential water treatment market at $100 million.
India’s water woes are set to escalate. A 2007 report by the government, called the Trombay Symposium on Desalination and Water Reuse, which formed the basis of a Supreme Court directive to increase efficiency, said that water resource management “is going to be the most serious problem that the country will be facing in the 21st century”.
According to a Planning Commission report, India’s annual rainfall is 4,000 trillion litres, of which only 1,869 trillion litres is usable. Of this, less than 1,123 million litres is actually put to use and the rest is wasted.
Groundwater, which accounts for 433 million litres, contributes 70-80% of that used in farms, around four-fifths of the supply in rural areas and around 50% of that used in urban areas and by industry in India.
Climate change, the Trombay report says, already accounts for a 20% increase in water scarcity, with the remaining 80% being due to population increase and economic development leading to water pollution.
Demand for fresh water by the industrial sector rose from 3% of availability in 1990 to 4% in 2000 and will be up to 11.5% in 2025. Irrigation demand is projected to decline from 84% in 2000 to 73% in 2025, the report adds.
Meanwhile, contamination in rivers and lakes and inefficient treatment plants prevent surface water in rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna from being effectively utilized.
Complementary to the water purification business are companies such as Germany-based Techem Energy Services Gmbh, one of the largest metering companies in the world.
Florian Angerer, who heads the firm’s India operations, said metering India’s booming, unchecked residential water consumption is a potential moneymaker.
Techem, which monitors water consumption using radio frequency identification technologies, currently charges €20-30 (Rs1,260-1,890) per month per house in European countries for their services, and is confident that Indian consumers will pay similar rates.
“Our experience in 20 countries has shown that metering water consumption reduces citizen’s water bills by 30%. So when water is eventually scarce, consumers will definitely pay,” Angerer said.
He added that Pune would be among the first cities to avail of their technology though he didn’t announce specific tie-ups with residential complexes, or expected annual revenues.
The market would be confined to a niche unless strong laws limit water supply to households, said S. Sudeep, who heads Norit India, a subsidiary of the Norit Group, a water purification company.
“We need much greater levels of awareness,” he said. “Currently only those complexes that have over 150 houses may consider it viable. The investments are too high.”
Hegde estimates that a complex with 100 households consumes 50,000 litres per day, requiring a Rs20 lakh investment, which when compared with tanker supply and maintenance would pay for itself in less than two years.
jacob.k@livemint.com
Citizen Matters, Bangalore: Bangalore's love-hate relationship with water now on film
Citizen Matters, Bangalore: Bangalore's love-hate relationship with water now on film
WATER AND A CITY
Bangalore's love-hate relationship with water now on film
Documentary film 'Water and a City' traces the journey of water into and out of urban Bangalore homes.
By Vaishnavi Vittal 15 Feb 2010, Citizen Mattersbookmark email print
The residents of Kaverinagar in North Bangalore have not received water from the BWSSB for about two years now. But bills from the water board have been delivered regularly. The only relief they have now is because of one of their neighbours Victoria who took it upon herself to help her neighbours by distributing water freely from her borewell.
A kilo litre (1000 litres) of water costs the BWSSB Rs 34, including production, distribution and so on. An average consumer receives this water at a highly subsidised rate, paying around Rs 18 per kilo litre. It's those who purchase them through other means like tankers and pots, who pay a higher price, some even Rs 300 per kilo litre.
Siddikatte tank, Sampangi tank, Dharmabudhi tank, Chennamma tank are now KR Market, Kanteerva stadium, Majestic bus stand and a burial ground respectively.
Forty-two year old Swati Dandekar has documented all this and much more in what could possibly be a first-of-its kind film for Bangalore. Titled 'Water and a City', this documentary film traces the journey of urban water supply in the city. This 52-minute film was screened on February 13th at the Centre for Film and Drama, Millers Road.
A still from the film 'Water and a city' by Swati Dandekar. Courtesy: Swati Dandekar
'Water and a city' is an attempt at presenting the water supply scenario in the Bangalore from a holistic perspective. "As I started to think more about it, I realised there's a vaccum in understanding the holistic picture - in the government, resident welfare associations, etc. Everyone had only their own view", says Swati, who is a Malleshwaram-based independent filmmaker. All of this prompted her to make this film to bring in various aspects related to water supply in Bangalore including social, economic, legal and environmental challenges.
For a city that receives about 500 million litres of water per day as opposed to the required 1000 million litres per day, Swati's film reiterates ground realities. From the time of Bangalore's dependence on the northern Arkavathy to the more recent Cauvery Water Supply Projects, the cost of water to the lack of water supply itself, improper sewerage treatment to sustainable water solutions like rainwater harvesting, the film delves into all these and more.
Swati Dandekar. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal
Incidentally, as the film itself disclaims towards the end, the BWSSB did not participate in the film. This, after more than four months of chasing after BWSSB officials, for interviews and permissions to shoot on their locations, says Swati. "I tried telling them that my critique is not against them but is more at a systemic level. They feared I'll say negative things about them". Swati also could not speak to the city's BWSSB in-charge minister Katta Subramanya Naidu. But she says she received a lot of inputs from other government departments, who gave her information 'off the record'.
Swati also spoke to former municipal corporators who did not think actively about water issues because they felt they have no say in BWSSB, also thanks to the absence of a city council.
DVDs of 'Water and a city' are available for sale.
To purchase or organise a screening of the film, Swati Danekar can be contacted at svati22[at]gmail[dot]com or waterandacity[at]gmail.com
A Kannada version of the film will be available in a month's time
The film took Swati about a year to make and she says the experience has been very interesting. "It all adds to your own understanding of the subject. But it was a struggle to get it all together in one film". The film follows a narrative format, interspersed with sound bytes and music. The title song was composed by Siddarama Kesapura, the Bangalore! Bangalore! song by Janardhana Kesaragadde, who is also the song writer, and the background score by Jatin Vidyarthi.
Swati says that through the film she hopes people understand the complex relationship that cities have with natural resources especially water. "But there are ways in which something can be done. You have to start thinking of ways more seriously. You need to get this full picture before you start to look for solutions", she emphasises, adding that this film will also make sense for other cities and not just Bangalore, since water supply needs to be looked at in an integrated way.
As one of the interviewees in the film, Joseph Arogyaswamy, standing near the depleting Hessarghatta lake (which last filled up in 1998), says, "What will you do in the future? Can you buy water from the market?" ⊕
Vaishnavi Vittal
15 Feb 2010
Vaishnavi Vittal is a staff journalist with Citizen Matters.
WATER AND A CITY
Bangalore's love-hate relationship with water now on film
Documentary film 'Water and a City' traces the journey of water into and out of urban Bangalore homes.
By Vaishnavi Vittal 15 Feb 2010, Citizen Mattersbookmark email print
The residents of Kaverinagar in North Bangalore have not received water from the BWSSB for about two years now. But bills from the water board have been delivered regularly. The only relief they have now is because of one of their neighbours Victoria who took it upon herself to help her neighbours by distributing water freely from her borewell.
A kilo litre (1000 litres) of water costs the BWSSB Rs 34, including production, distribution and so on. An average consumer receives this water at a highly subsidised rate, paying around Rs 18 per kilo litre. It's those who purchase them through other means like tankers and pots, who pay a higher price, some even Rs 300 per kilo litre.
Siddikatte tank, Sampangi tank, Dharmabudhi tank, Chennamma tank are now KR Market, Kanteerva stadium, Majestic bus stand and a burial ground respectively.
Forty-two year old Swati Dandekar has documented all this and much more in what could possibly be a first-of-its kind film for Bangalore. Titled 'Water and a City', this documentary film traces the journey of urban water supply in the city. This 52-minute film was screened on February 13th at the Centre for Film and Drama, Millers Road.
A still from the film 'Water and a city' by Swati Dandekar. Courtesy: Swati Dandekar
'Water and a city' is an attempt at presenting the water supply scenario in the Bangalore from a holistic perspective. "As I started to think more about it, I realised there's a vaccum in understanding the holistic picture - in the government, resident welfare associations, etc. Everyone had only their own view", says Swati, who is a Malleshwaram-based independent filmmaker. All of this prompted her to make this film to bring in various aspects related to water supply in Bangalore including social, economic, legal and environmental challenges.
For a city that receives about 500 million litres of water per day as opposed to the required 1000 million litres per day, Swati's film reiterates ground realities. From the time of Bangalore's dependence on the northern Arkavathy to the more recent Cauvery Water Supply Projects, the cost of water to the lack of water supply itself, improper sewerage treatment to sustainable water solutions like rainwater harvesting, the film delves into all these and more.
Swati Dandekar. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal
Incidentally, as the film itself disclaims towards the end, the BWSSB did not participate in the film. This, after more than four months of chasing after BWSSB officials, for interviews and permissions to shoot on their locations, says Swati. "I tried telling them that my critique is not against them but is more at a systemic level. They feared I'll say negative things about them". Swati also could not speak to the city's BWSSB in-charge minister Katta Subramanya Naidu. But she says she received a lot of inputs from other government departments, who gave her information 'off the record'.
Swati also spoke to former municipal corporators who did not think actively about water issues because they felt they have no say in BWSSB, also thanks to the absence of a city council.
DVDs of 'Water and a city' are available for sale.
To purchase or organise a screening of the film, Swati Danekar can be contacted at svati22[at]gmail[dot]com or waterandacity[at]gmail.com
A Kannada version of the film will be available in a month's time
The film took Swati about a year to make and she says the experience has been very interesting. "It all adds to your own understanding of the subject. But it was a struggle to get it all together in one film". The film follows a narrative format, interspersed with sound bytes and music. The title song was composed by Siddarama Kesapura, the Bangalore! Bangalore! song by Janardhana Kesaragadde, who is also the song writer, and the background score by Jatin Vidyarthi.
Swati says that through the film she hopes people understand the complex relationship that cities have with natural resources especially water. "But there are ways in which something can be done. You have to start thinking of ways more seriously. You need to get this full picture before you start to look for solutions", she emphasises, adding that this film will also make sense for other cities and not just Bangalore, since water supply needs to be looked at in an integrated way.
As one of the interviewees in the film, Joseph Arogyaswamy, standing near the depleting Hessarghatta lake (which last filled up in 1998), says, "What will you do in the future? Can you buy water from the market?" ⊕
Vaishnavi Vittal
15 Feb 2010
Vaishnavi Vittal is a staff journalist with Citizen Matters.
Citizen Matters, Bangalore: Clearing the air about Bengaluru’s carbon emissions
Citizen Matters, Bangalore: Clearing the air about Bengaluru’s carbon emissions
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE CITY
Clearing the air about Bengaluru’s carbon emissions
The Copenhagen Climate Meet 2009 may have turned out inconsequential, but the need to check carbon emissions is as crucial as ever.
By Bhanu Sridharan 15 Feb 2010, Citizen Mattersbookmark email print
A lot of heated debates at the recently concluded Copenhagen Climate Meet 2009 threw up more questions than answers. Though many argued over India's position in the debate, little is known of how its rapidly growing cities are contributing to global warming. Speaking locally, how much does Bangalore, teeming with a six-million-plus, contribute to India's total carbon emissions? How does it hold itself accountable to the mess our planet is in and how does it plan to help clean it up?
The answer is systematic assessment of its emissions. As with much of the climate change topic, here it becomes crucial to negotiate our way through some technical jargon.
Talk of carbon levels (particularly in the media) are usually followed by the phrase ‘carbon footprint', while a more accurate term would be ‘greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory' or ‘carbon inventory'. Professor N H Ravindranath, an IPCC member from the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Indian Institute of Sciences, says, "Carbon footprint is a loose, generic term often used (by the media) to explain the amount of carbon emissions; whereas a GHG inventory is a binding legal term with specific parameters."
Green house gases are those that contribute to global warming including Carbon dioxide and Methane. Their emissions caused by burning fuels, whether for cooking, for transportation or generation of electricity.
Simply put, a carbon inventory is a measure of all GHGs that a particular activity produces. "When we talk about carbon levels, a common mistake is to confuse it with pollution. But GHGs do not include polluting gases like carbon monoxide, which though harmful, do not contribute to warming," he adds. But a carbon inventory takes into account only GHGs like carbon dioxide and methane which trap and radiate the sun's rays (the greenhouse effect), thus increasing the earth's average temperatures.
Calculating emissions
Most carbon inventories for cities calculate emission levels from land use activities particularly transport and housing. For instance, an inventory conducted for New York City by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) based its findings on the calculation of fuel emissions from vehicles and the energy used by buildings.
"While these factors are useful, they are not all-inclusive," says Sapna N, Project Coordinator for City Managers' Association, Karnataka (CMAK), a state-level advisory body that provides technical expertise to various urban local bodies (municipalities) in cities and towns across Karnataka.
She says a comprehensive inventory of the city's emissions must "trace sources of all activities that lead to GHG emissions". She adds, "For example, if we take power supply in Bangalore, the sources are thermal and hydroelectric. Thermal power supply must then consider emissions from transportation and burning of coal, transportation of residues like charcoal, etc."
Prof. Ravindranath says that to produce any useful data for Indian cities carbon inventories must define the boundaries for that region. "In Karnataka, electricity comes mainly from hydropower but in Bihar, it may be 100% coal," he explains.
Emissions linked to lifestyle
Dr Sharadchandra Lele, senior researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment, agrees that in cities like Bangalore, "studies must take into account socio-economic differences while measuring emission levels".
Different lifestyles influence emission levels. "A low-income family may emit more carbon while cooking by using firewood as against households using LPG," says Lele, but is quick to add "middle- and high-income groups contribute far more by travelling in private vehicles while the poor may use public transport," Lele says.
This throws up various difficulties in collecting data on Bangalore's emission levels.
Every family contributes
Difficult, yet possible. A simple way of collecting data is to ensure that inventories look into consumption (and therefore emission) patterns of households with emphasis on socio-economic status, industries and local governing bodies (emissions produced while delivering essential services).
For instance, basic data might come from an individual level (a whole family unit). How much carbon (or GHG) does a typical household in Bangalore emit on an average? This involves mapping its consumption patterns of electricity, water consumption (from borewells or Cauvery river pipeline), transportation patterns (number of vehicles owned, yearly petrol consumption etc) and nature of the building or house.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE CITY
Clearing the air about Bengaluru’s carbon emissions
The Copenhagen Climate Meet 2009 may have turned out inconsequential, but the need to check carbon emissions is as crucial as ever.
By Bhanu Sridharan 15 Feb 2010, Citizen Mattersbookmark email print
A lot of heated debates at the recently concluded Copenhagen Climate Meet 2009 threw up more questions than answers. Though many argued over India's position in the debate, little is known of how its rapidly growing cities are contributing to global warming. Speaking locally, how much does Bangalore, teeming with a six-million-plus, contribute to India's total carbon emissions? How does it hold itself accountable to the mess our planet is in and how does it plan to help clean it up?
The answer is systematic assessment of its emissions. As with much of the climate change topic, here it becomes crucial to negotiate our way through some technical jargon.
Talk of carbon levels (particularly in the media) are usually followed by the phrase ‘carbon footprint', while a more accurate term would be ‘greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory' or ‘carbon inventory'. Professor N H Ravindranath, an IPCC member from the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Indian Institute of Sciences, says, "Carbon footprint is a loose, generic term often used (by the media) to explain the amount of carbon emissions; whereas a GHG inventory is a binding legal term with specific parameters."
Green house gases are those that contribute to global warming including Carbon dioxide and Methane. Their emissions caused by burning fuels, whether for cooking, for transportation or generation of electricity.
Simply put, a carbon inventory is a measure of all GHGs that a particular activity produces. "When we talk about carbon levels, a common mistake is to confuse it with pollution. But GHGs do not include polluting gases like carbon monoxide, which though harmful, do not contribute to warming," he adds. But a carbon inventory takes into account only GHGs like carbon dioxide and methane which trap and radiate the sun's rays (the greenhouse effect), thus increasing the earth's average temperatures.
Calculating emissions
Most carbon inventories for cities calculate emission levels from land use activities particularly transport and housing. For instance, an inventory conducted for New York City by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) based its findings on the calculation of fuel emissions from vehicles and the energy used by buildings.
"While these factors are useful, they are not all-inclusive," says Sapna N, Project Coordinator for City Managers' Association, Karnataka (CMAK), a state-level advisory body that provides technical expertise to various urban local bodies (municipalities) in cities and towns across Karnataka.
She says a comprehensive inventory of the city's emissions must "trace sources of all activities that lead to GHG emissions". She adds, "For example, if we take power supply in Bangalore, the sources are thermal and hydroelectric. Thermal power supply must then consider emissions from transportation and burning of coal, transportation of residues like charcoal, etc."
Prof. Ravindranath says that to produce any useful data for Indian cities carbon inventories must define the boundaries for that region. "In Karnataka, electricity comes mainly from hydropower but in Bihar, it may be 100% coal," he explains.
Emissions linked to lifestyle
Dr Sharadchandra Lele, senior researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment, agrees that in cities like Bangalore, "studies must take into account socio-economic differences while measuring emission levels".
Different lifestyles influence emission levels. "A low-income family may emit more carbon while cooking by using firewood as against households using LPG," says Lele, but is quick to add "middle- and high-income groups contribute far more by travelling in private vehicles while the poor may use public transport," Lele says.
This throws up various difficulties in collecting data on Bangalore's emission levels.
Every family contributes
Difficult, yet possible. A simple way of collecting data is to ensure that inventories look into consumption (and therefore emission) patterns of households with emphasis on socio-economic status, industries and local governing bodies (emissions produced while delivering essential services).
For instance, basic data might come from an individual level (a whole family unit). How much carbon (or GHG) does a typical household in Bangalore emit on an average? This involves mapping its consumption patterns of electricity, water consumption (from borewells or Cauvery river pipeline), transportation patterns (number of vehicles owned, yearly petrol consumption etc) and nature of the building or house.
Women lead the water mafia here
Women lead the water mafia here
Women lead the water mafia here
S Lalitha, Feb 12, Bangalore:
A mini-water racket is thriving at Yasin Nagar in HBR Layout Block II for quite some time. The players: a couple of poor women with some political clout. Their victims: nearly 2,500 poor and lower middle class families in the area.
The centre stage for the ongoing extortion racket is the 8th Cross in the First Stage, which has three pipes lining the street that supply Cauvery water. Water is supplied here thrice a week.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has not appointed a valve man to regulate the water supply. Instead, two women (Jabeen and Ameena) and a couple of men who serve as their aides have reportedly taken control of the water distribution.
They have fixed valves to the pipes and only this ‘water distribution mafia gang’ is permitted to operate them. No wonder, the people are at their mercy. The payment rates are Rs 100 per month or Rs 10 for three pots of water. Fear that they would be deprived of their quota of water supply if they dare to protest is uppermost on the minds of most of the women here.
A middle-aged MNC employee, residing nearby, states the racket has been taking place ever since Cauvery water was supplied to the area nearly two years ago.
The HBR Residents Welfare Association has filed a complaint at the Hennur police station on Tuesday. The inspector reluctantly took the complaint, alleged Anees Ahmed, Association General Secretary.
BWSSB Assistant Executive Engineer, Kalyan Nagar, Malla Reddy professed ignorance about the whole issue. BWSSB employee regulates the water supply, he claimed. He also threatened to take action against those demanding money from the public.
DH News Service
Women lead the water mafia here
S Lalitha, Feb 12, Bangalore:
A mini-water racket is thriving at Yasin Nagar in HBR Layout Block II for quite some time. The players: a couple of poor women with some political clout. Their victims: nearly 2,500 poor and lower middle class families in the area.
The centre stage for the ongoing extortion racket is the 8th Cross in the First Stage, which has three pipes lining the street that supply Cauvery water. Water is supplied here thrice a week.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has not appointed a valve man to regulate the water supply. Instead, two women (Jabeen and Ameena) and a couple of men who serve as their aides have reportedly taken control of the water distribution.
They have fixed valves to the pipes and only this ‘water distribution mafia gang’ is permitted to operate them. No wonder, the people are at their mercy. The payment rates are Rs 100 per month or Rs 10 for three pots of water. Fear that they would be deprived of their quota of water supply if they dare to protest is uppermost on the minds of most of the women here.
A middle-aged MNC employee, residing nearby, states the racket has been taking place ever since Cauvery water was supplied to the area nearly two years ago.
The HBR Residents Welfare Association has filed a complaint at the Hennur police station on Tuesday. The inspector reluctantly took the complaint, alleged Anees Ahmed, Association General Secretary.
BWSSB Assistant Executive Engineer, Kalyan Nagar, Malla Reddy professed ignorance about the whole issue. BWSSB employee regulates the water supply, he claimed. He also threatened to take action against those demanding money from the public.
DH News Service
20 resource centres identified for rural drinking water Sector | NetIndian | India News | Latest News from India | Breaking News from India | Latest Headlines
20 resource centres identified for rural drinking water Sector | NetIndian | India News | Latest News from India | Breaking News from India | Latest Headlines
Home: 20 resource centres identified for rural drinking water Sector
etIndian News Network
New Delhi, February 8, 2010
The Department of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation under the Ministry of Rural Development has identified 20 institutions as National Resource Centres (NRCs) to help the States and their agencies in developing their information, education and communication (IEC) strategy as well as capacity building of different stakeholders.
As key resource centres (KRCs), the identified institutions, located around the country, are expected to, among other things, build the capacity of key resource persons at the State level as well as key programme managers and key resource persons in each district.
They will also provide technical guidance to the States in establishing and proper functioning of the Communication & Capacity Development Unit (CCDUs), expand technical guidance for implementation of reform initiatives in different districts allocated to them; and organize orientation workshops, meetins and training for main stakeholders at the State level.
An official press release said the Government had told the identified institutions to prepare an action plan for 2010-11 by March 15.
The identified institutions are: National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad, Uttarakhand Academy of Administration (UAA), Nainital, NIRD, Guwahati, Gujarat Jalsewa Training Institute (GJTI), Gandhinagar, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, XLRI, Jamshedpur, Anna University, Chennai, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, National Water Academy, Pune, Arghyam, Bangalore, Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi, Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, CGWB Training Institute, Faridabad, School of Environmental Studies, Jadhavpur University, NESAC, Shillong, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), LLBSNAA, Mussoorie, WASH Institute, Plan India, New Delhi and IMMT, Bhubaneswar.
Home: 20 resource centres identified for rural drinking water Sector
etIndian News Network
New Delhi, February 8, 2010
The Department of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation under the Ministry of Rural Development has identified 20 institutions as National Resource Centres (NRCs) to help the States and their agencies in developing their information, education and communication (IEC) strategy as well as capacity building of different stakeholders.
As key resource centres (KRCs), the identified institutions, located around the country, are expected to, among other things, build the capacity of key resource persons at the State level as well as key programme managers and key resource persons in each district.
They will also provide technical guidance to the States in establishing and proper functioning of the Communication & Capacity Development Unit (CCDUs), expand technical guidance for implementation of reform initiatives in different districts allocated to them; and organize orientation workshops, meetins and training for main stakeholders at the State level.
An official press release said the Government had told the identified institutions to prepare an action plan for 2010-11 by March 15.
The identified institutions are: National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad, Uttarakhand Academy of Administration (UAA), Nainital, NIRD, Guwahati, Gujarat Jalsewa Training Institute (GJTI), Gandhinagar, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, XLRI, Jamshedpur, Anna University, Chennai, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, National Water Academy, Pune, Arghyam, Bangalore, Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi, Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, CGWB Training Institute, Faridabad, School of Environmental Studies, Jadhavpur University, NESAC, Shillong, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), LLBSNAA, Mussoorie, WASH Institute, Plan India, New Delhi and IMMT, Bhubaneswar.
Tannery Rd residents are left high and dry - Bangalore - City - The Times of India
Tannery Rd residents are left high and dry - Bangalore - City - The Times of India
BANGALORE: Residents of some parts of Tannery Road, including Vinobhanagar and Bharatmata Layout, are complaining that they haven't got a drop of Cauvery water for the past two months. Tired of calling BWSSB several times, they took to the streets on Monday in protest.
"We are not getting water supply for two months. People are buying from private sources. Each pot costs Rs 2 to Rs 5, and Cauvery water is Rs 6. Over 2,000 people have been affected due to this. The strange thing is we have been getting water bills regularly, some of which have even gone up to Rs 800," said Imtiaz Ahmed, a resident.
However, BWSSB chief engineer T Venkatraju insisted the areas are getting water. "There were fluctuations in supply. Cauvery water and borewell facilities will be improved."
Read more: Tannery Rd residents are left high and dry - Bangalore - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Tannery-Rd-residents-are-left-high-and-dry/articleshow/5550461.cms#ixzz0yjUlaIOG
BANGALORE: Residents of some parts of Tannery Road, including Vinobhanagar and Bharatmata Layout, are complaining that they haven't got a drop of Cauvery water for the past two months. Tired of calling BWSSB several times, they took to the streets on Monday in protest.
"We are not getting water supply for two months. People are buying from private sources. Each pot costs Rs 2 to Rs 5, and Cauvery water is Rs 6. Over 2,000 people have been affected due to this. The strange thing is we have been getting water bills regularly, some of which have even gone up to Rs 800," said Imtiaz Ahmed, a resident.
However, BWSSB chief engineer T Venkatraju insisted the areas are getting water. "There were fluctuations in supply. Cauvery water and borewell facilities will be improved."
Read more: Tannery Rd residents are left high and dry - Bangalore - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Tannery-Rd-residents-are-left-high-and-dry/articleshow/5550461.cms#ixzz0yjUlaIOG
IDE wins Chennai water plant job - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
IDE wins Chennai water plant job - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
IDE wins Chennai water plant job
By Yoram Gabison
Tags: Israel news
IDE Technologies has won a tender to build a second seawater desalination plant in Chennai, India's fifth biggest city, along with the Indian company VA Tech Wabag.
The two companies will be building this second desalination facility for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. The Israeli group will own a 30% interest in the plant.
The joint Israeli-Indian venture will plan, procure and build the plant at Nemmili, a site about 35 kilometers south of Chennai, at a cost of about $120 million, funded by the Indian government.
The plant will have a capacity of more than 30 million cubic meters of water a day. The water will be treated using reverse osmosis technology.
Following the plant's inauguration in about two years, the joint venture will operate it for seven years in exchange for $110 million.
The plant is supposed to supply Chennai's southern suburbs, an area formerly known as Madras, and the high-tech zone.
Chennai is a major exporter of cars and software, second only to Bangalore.
Wabag, which is controlled by the private equity fund ICICI, projects that Chennai's consumption of desalinated water will increase from the current 1.2 million cubic meters a day to 2 million cubic meters a day in 2025. India's consumption of desalinated water is projected to increase by 15% a year.
IDE Technologies is owned by Yitzhak Tshuva's Delek Group and Idan Ofer's chemicals group ICL. The group was chosen by virtue of its experience in building large-scale reverse-osmosis desalination plants, including in India.
In other IDE news, last week the cash-strapped state of California approved a $550 million allocation of private-activity bonds for the construction of a desalination plant with a capacity of 60 million cubic meters a year for the city of Carlsbad.
IDE wins Chennai water plant job
By Yoram Gabison
Tags: Israel news
IDE Technologies has won a tender to build a second seawater desalination plant in Chennai, India's fifth biggest city, along with the Indian company VA Tech Wabag.
The two companies will be building this second desalination facility for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. The Israeli group will own a 30% interest in the plant.
The joint Israeli-Indian venture will plan, procure and build the plant at Nemmili, a site about 35 kilometers south of Chennai, at a cost of about $120 million, funded by the Indian government.
The plant will have a capacity of more than 30 million cubic meters of water a day. The water will be treated using reverse osmosis technology.
Following the plant's inauguration in about two years, the joint venture will operate it for seven years in exchange for $110 million.
The plant is supposed to supply Chennai's southern suburbs, an area formerly known as Madras, and the high-tech zone.
Chennai is a major exporter of cars and software, second only to Bangalore.
Wabag, which is controlled by the private equity fund ICICI, projects that Chennai's consumption of desalinated water will increase from the current 1.2 million cubic meters a day to 2 million cubic meters a day in 2025. India's consumption of desalinated water is projected to increase by 15% a year.
IDE Technologies is owned by Yitzhak Tshuva's Delek Group and Idan Ofer's chemicals group ICL. The group was chosen by virtue of its experience in building large-scale reverse-osmosis desalination plants, including in India.
In other IDE news, last week the cash-strapped state of California approved a $550 million allocation of private-activity bonds for the construction of a desalination plant with a capacity of 60 million cubic meters a year for the city of Carlsbad.
Government goes slow on rainwater harvesting | | | Indian Express
Government goes slow on rainwater harvesting | | | Indian Express
Government goes slow on rainwater harvesting
N R Madhusudhan First Published : 02 Feb 2010 05:22:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 02 Feb 2010 07:47:28 AM IST
BANGALORE: The seriousness of government officials in implementing environment friendly schemes can be gauged from the interest they have shown in installing Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) systems in the buildings housing their offices.
Chief Secretary S V Ranganath and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman P B Ramamurthy sent a letter to 110 department heads in the city asking them to install RWH systems within three months.
So far, only nine departments have approached the BWSSB for technical assistance to install the RWH systems.
They are: City Central Libraries, Directorate of Youth and Sports, Directorate of Sericulture, Department of Forest development, Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies dept., Commissioner of Social Welfare Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, Department of Collegiate Education and the Department of Technical Education.
The letter dated October 15, 2009 had asked all principal secretaries, and department heads to call a meeting of officials from their department and direct them to install the RWH systems in their office buildings.
It had also stated that the state government is serious about implementing this program and has asked the department heads to approach the BWSSB for technical assistance at the earliest.
According to an amendment made by the state government to the BWSSB Act, all structures that are constructed in an area of 2,400 sq. ft and more should have RWH systems by May 27, 2010.
A BWSSB official said, “As per the instructions given to us by the government and the amendment made to the Act we will have to disconnect the water connections to those buildings that have come up in an area of 2,400 sq. ft and more if they do not have RWH systems in them.
“We will not discriminate between government and private buildings when it comes to implementing these rules.”
madhusudhan@expressbuzz.com
Government goes slow on rainwater harvesting
N R Madhusudhan First Published : 02 Feb 2010 05:22:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 02 Feb 2010 07:47:28 AM IST
BANGALORE: The seriousness of government officials in implementing environment friendly schemes can be gauged from the interest they have shown in installing Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) systems in the buildings housing their offices.
Chief Secretary S V Ranganath and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman P B Ramamurthy sent a letter to 110 department heads in the city asking them to install RWH systems within three months.
So far, only nine departments have approached the BWSSB for technical assistance to install the RWH systems.
They are: City Central Libraries, Directorate of Youth and Sports, Directorate of Sericulture, Department of Forest development, Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies dept., Commissioner of Social Welfare Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, Department of Collegiate Education and the Department of Technical Education.
The letter dated October 15, 2009 had asked all principal secretaries, and department heads to call a meeting of officials from their department and direct them to install the RWH systems in their office buildings.
It had also stated that the state government is serious about implementing this program and has asked the department heads to approach the BWSSB for technical assistance at the earliest.
According to an amendment made by the state government to the BWSSB Act, all structures that are constructed in an area of 2,400 sq. ft and more should have RWH systems by May 27, 2010.
A BWSSB official said, “As per the instructions given to us by the government and the amendment made to the Act we will have to disconnect the water connections to those buildings that have come up in an area of 2,400 sq. ft and more if they do not have RWH systems in them.
“We will not discriminate between government and private buildings when it comes to implementing these rules.”
madhusudhan@expressbuzz.com
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Bruhat blunder
Bruhat blunder
Govt misses golden opportunity
Bruhat blunder
By Gayathri Nivas
Whichever party wins in the BBMP election, it will inherit a bankrupt city corporation.
After former prime minister H D Deve Gowda uttered a more than four-letter-word against Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for allegedly conceding undue land demands of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise for Gowda’s not so pet project — the NICE expressway and infrastructure corridor — it is the turn of Governor H R Bhardwaj, who accused the state government of ‘maladministration’ and ‘neglect of duty’. The constitutional head of state made the not very nice utterances in respect of Bangalore city’s traffic bottlenecks and slow paced infrastructure development, at a conference on e-governance and digitisation of government earlier this week.
Whether Gowda rightly or wrongly used the yuck word has been debated enough and the issue laid to rest after the JD(S) patriarch made a public apology to the chief minister. Hence, the governor’s latest barb needs examination.
The Yeddyurappa government has completed 18 months in office and is into the 19th month. Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike or city corporation, has completed three years without an elected council. During this three-year Opposition-free run of the corporation, Yeddyurappa was deputy chief minister holding finance portfolio under the previous JD(S)-BJP coalition regime and later became the chief minister, keeping the charge of Bangalore city to himself. During this period, at least two state budgets and two corporation budgets have been adopted. But no funds transfer worth its name, from the state coffers to the civic body, had taken place. Nevertheless, the corporation took up Rs 800-1,000 crore worth of works, which were paid for from the huge property tax money it generated after lifting a two-year freeze on tax collection. The corporation had temporarily stopped accepting tax as it wished to graduate from a voluntary or self-assessment method to a capital gains-based method, which met with some resistance.
Empty coffers
At least Rs 6,700 crore worth of outstanding bills, on going works and works already allotted to contractors through work code are still to be financed. And the corporation kitty is ostensibly empty, if the contractors, who went on a strike recently demanding clearance of their dues, are to be believed.
For the record, Yeddyurappa can be adjudged the richest chief minister of all his immediate predecessors as his government has received funds from the World Bank, from the Central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), besides the tax monies. But there is hardly any concrete gameplan to justify the huge spending or ensure planned development of nearly 600 sq km of newly added areas, which upgraded the corporation from plain Bangalore to Bruhat Bangalore or Bigger Bangalore.
The state government frittered away a golden opportunity to turn the new Bangalore areas into an urban model worth emulating. The lack of an overarching plan has resulted in sporadic development of the city at the whims and fancies of the more influential city MLAs, who are putting the cart before the horse. For instance, before laying sanitary and water supply lines, roads have been tarred, which will not only necessitate their inevitable digging at a later date but also cost precious funds for relaying them. Kerbs built with long lasting stones have been uprooted to be replaced by concrete slabs of limited lifespan.
The five new layouts envisaged are begging for attention. With housing building activity yet to takeoff, the government can freely lay roads, flyovers, identify waste dumps and create other amenities. But inaction is conspicuous. Similar is the case of the traffic signal-free corridors proposed, barring a few stretches — again the handiwork of a few ruling BJP MLAs close to the powers that be.
Debt and neglect
A slew of projects worth a whopping Rs 22,000 crore has been cleared by the state Cabinet a couple of months ago but there are no funds to foot them, it is said. Conveniently, the government kept the tenders called for these projects in abeyance after some questions were raised regarding the post haste manner in which the financial bids were opened, ostensibly to overcome the poll code of conduct, which took effect on January 15. The chief minister, in a magnanimous gesture, said the new elected council could take up the tendering and blamed the Opposition for the delays which would entail in implementing critical infrastructure projects.
Well said chief minister but whichever party is elected to power, it will inherit an unenviable heirloom of debt and neglect. And if there is one word that is meaningless in politics, it is speculate. Almost all politicians speculate all the time, gameplanning ahead for likely, and unlikely, outcomes. And if it is an election year, they are at it with full fury. The latest theme for speculation? Will the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike election happen on February 21 or not.
Govt misses golden opportunity
Bruhat blunder
By Gayathri Nivas
Whichever party wins in the BBMP election, it will inherit a bankrupt city corporation.
After former prime minister H D Deve Gowda uttered a more than four-letter-word against Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for allegedly conceding undue land demands of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise for Gowda’s not so pet project — the NICE expressway and infrastructure corridor — it is the turn of Governor H R Bhardwaj, who accused the state government of ‘maladministration’ and ‘neglect of duty’. The constitutional head of state made the not very nice utterances in respect of Bangalore city’s traffic bottlenecks and slow paced infrastructure development, at a conference on e-governance and digitisation of government earlier this week.
Whether Gowda rightly or wrongly used the yuck word has been debated enough and the issue laid to rest after the JD(S) patriarch made a public apology to the chief minister. Hence, the governor’s latest barb needs examination.
The Yeddyurappa government has completed 18 months in office and is into the 19th month. Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike or city corporation, has completed three years without an elected council. During this three-year Opposition-free run of the corporation, Yeddyurappa was deputy chief minister holding finance portfolio under the previous JD(S)-BJP coalition regime and later became the chief minister, keeping the charge of Bangalore city to himself. During this period, at least two state budgets and two corporation budgets have been adopted. But no funds transfer worth its name, from the state coffers to the civic body, had taken place. Nevertheless, the corporation took up Rs 800-1,000 crore worth of works, which were paid for from the huge property tax money it generated after lifting a two-year freeze on tax collection. The corporation had temporarily stopped accepting tax as it wished to graduate from a voluntary or self-assessment method to a capital gains-based method, which met with some resistance.
Empty coffers
At least Rs 6,700 crore worth of outstanding bills, on going works and works already allotted to contractors through work code are still to be financed. And the corporation kitty is ostensibly empty, if the contractors, who went on a strike recently demanding clearance of their dues, are to be believed.
For the record, Yeddyurappa can be adjudged the richest chief minister of all his immediate predecessors as his government has received funds from the World Bank, from the Central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), besides the tax monies. But there is hardly any concrete gameplan to justify the huge spending or ensure planned development of nearly 600 sq km of newly added areas, which upgraded the corporation from plain Bangalore to Bruhat Bangalore or Bigger Bangalore.
The state government frittered away a golden opportunity to turn the new Bangalore areas into an urban model worth emulating. The lack of an overarching plan has resulted in sporadic development of the city at the whims and fancies of the more influential city MLAs, who are putting the cart before the horse. For instance, before laying sanitary and water supply lines, roads have been tarred, which will not only necessitate their inevitable digging at a later date but also cost precious funds for relaying them. Kerbs built with long lasting stones have been uprooted to be replaced by concrete slabs of limited lifespan.
The five new layouts envisaged are begging for attention. With housing building activity yet to takeoff, the government can freely lay roads, flyovers, identify waste dumps and create other amenities. But inaction is conspicuous. Similar is the case of the traffic signal-free corridors proposed, barring a few stretches — again the handiwork of a few ruling BJP MLAs close to the powers that be.
Debt and neglect
A slew of projects worth a whopping Rs 22,000 crore has been cleared by the state Cabinet a couple of months ago but there are no funds to foot them, it is said. Conveniently, the government kept the tenders called for these projects in abeyance after some questions were raised regarding the post haste manner in which the financial bids were opened, ostensibly to overcome the poll code of conduct, which took effect on January 15. The chief minister, in a magnanimous gesture, said the new elected council could take up the tendering and blamed the Opposition for the delays which would entail in implementing critical infrastructure projects.
Well said chief minister but whichever party is elected to power, it will inherit an unenviable heirloom of debt and neglect. And if there is one word that is meaningless in politics, it is speculate. Almost all politicians speculate all the time, gameplanning ahead for likely, and unlikely, outcomes. And if it is an election year, they are at it with full fury. The latest theme for speculation? Will the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike election happen on February 21 or not.
BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
You are here: Home » City » BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
S Lalitha, Bangalore:
Faced with a deluge of letters and calls from public appealing for some kind of subsidy or loans to be made available for those opting for Rain Water Harvesting (RWH), the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed relaxation of Value Added Tax (VAT) for a key component used in the installation of the RWH structures.
The move is intended to motivate the public to opt for RWH before the May 27 deadline.
This was decided at the high-level meeting of the BWSSB officials on Wednesday. BWSSB Chairperson B Ramamurthy has sent a proposal in this connection to the Urban Development department late in the evening, sources said.
At present, nearly 12.5 per cent VAT is being charged on the cost of the filters, which is a key component in the RWH structures, an official specified.
“With the number of people opting for RWH in existing 40 x 60 buildings far disproportionate to the actual number, we are attempting some kind of incentive for house owners to harvest rainwater,” the source said.
Vital component
The filter, the most vital component in the RWH apparatus, is used to remove dust and other solid matter present in water.
There are three types of filters presently used in the different types of RWH methods: a pop-up filter, a rainy filter and a sand filter.
Elaborating on the market rates for the products, Vijay Raj, proprietor of a leading filter concern, Farmland Rainwater Harvesting Systems, said that the cost of a pop-up filter works out to Rs 2,700, inclusive of tax. “If the VAT charges can be done away with, it would cost only around Rs 2,400 and could offer some relief to the purchasers,” he said.
The Rainy filter costs Rs 5,000 and the discount could bring down the price to Rs 4,400, he added.
Sand filters work out to be much cheaper and they are usually designed by the people at their homes, Raj said.
The BWSSB is also calling for Expression of Interest from manufacturers of filters, said a source. This would enable the department to put out a price list of filters to the consumers, he said.
DH News Service
You are here: Home » City » BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
BWSSB proposes tax rebate on RWH filters
S Lalitha, Bangalore:
Faced with a deluge of letters and calls from public appealing for some kind of subsidy or loans to be made available for those opting for Rain Water Harvesting (RWH), the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed relaxation of Value Added Tax (VAT) for a key component used in the installation of the RWH structures.
The move is intended to motivate the public to opt for RWH before the May 27 deadline.
This was decided at the high-level meeting of the BWSSB officials on Wednesday. BWSSB Chairperson B Ramamurthy has sent a proposal in this connection to the Urban Development department late in the evening, sources said.
At present, nearly 12.5 per cent VAT is being charged on the cost of the filters, which is a key component in the RWH structures, an official specified.
“With the number of people opting for RWH in existing 40 x 60 buildings far disproportionate to the actual number, we are attempting some kind of incentive for house owners to harvest rainwater,” the source said.
Vital component
The filter, the most vital component in the RWH apparatus, is used to remove dust and other solid matter present in water.
There are three types of filters presently used in the different types of RWH methods: a pop-up filter, a rainy filter and a sand filter.
Elaborating on the market rates for the products, Vijay Raj, proprietor of a leading filter concern, Farmland Rainwater Harvesting Systems, said that the cost of a pop-up filter works out to Rs 2,700, inclusive of tax. “If the VAT charges can be done away with, it would cost only around Rs 2,400 and could offer some relief to the purchasers,” he said.
The Rainy filter costs Rs 5,000 and the discount could bring down the price to Rs 4,400, he added.
Sand filters work out to be much cheaper and they are usually designed by the people at their homes, Raj said.
The BWSSB is also calling for Expression of Interest from manufacturers of filters, said a source. This would enable the department to put out a price list of filters to the consumers, he said.
DH News Service
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