Bengaluru water crisis: Developers, government come together to supply treated water to construction sites

Currently, the city faces a demand for 62 lakh litres of treated water that is likely to increase further in the coming days.

Amid a severe water crisis in the city, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has planned to tie up with the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) Bengaluru to supply treated water to construction sites and large housing societies in the city starting April 2, 2023, chairman of BWSSB, Ram Prasath Manohar said.

Within 500 meters of wastewater treatment plants, major under-construction sites and private apartments will be supplied with water through the installation of a separate pipeline. In the first phase, BWSSB plans to supply treated water through separate pipelines or tankers within a radius of 5 km of the STPs and water treatment plants. Manohar added that the cost of supply will be borne by the consumers.

BWSSB officials said construction work uses up a major chunk of the water supply mostly supplied through borewells. This has led to the depletion of groundwater tables in parts of the city. Through the new initiative, the officials said they will be able to encourage the reuse of treated water.

To ensure the quality of the water, the water board has also partnered with the Indian Institute of Science for additional consultancy.

Previously BWSSB had decided to take over borewells at construction sites and to provide treated water instead. During a meeting with major builders in the city, Manohar had emphasised the mandatory use of recycled and environmentally friendly water for construction purposes, especially for buildings above 20,000 sq ft.

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Currently, the city faces a demand for 62 lakh litres of treated water that is likely to increase further in the coming days. By selling the treated water, BWSSB also hopes to increase its revenue further.

The water situation

Ahead of summer, Bengaluru is facing a severe water crisis that spiralled due to unplanned development and a lack of water planning, experts say.

A major part of Bengaluru is connected to piped water supply from the Kaveri River. The city receives 1,450 million litres per day (MLD) of water from the river. Yet, it is short of 1,680 MLD.

Added to it, the unprecedented growth in Bengaluru has dented the balance between consumption and availability. In 2007, 110 villages were added to Bengaluru, spread across Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, South, and RR Nagar zones – those continue to remain without piped water supply – depending mainly on borewells and water tankers.

Additionally, BWSSB officials said that starting April 10 customers who use more than 40 lakh litres of water per month will have a 10 percent decrease in their water supply.