Eyeing semiconductor growth, Karnataka to channel Cauvery, Yettinahole water to industrial areas near Bengaluru

Representational picture

With semiconductor and manufacturing industries requiring large volumes of water, and groundwater levels steadily depleting, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has invited tenders for a major water supply project to serve industrial zones around Bengaluru.

The project will draw water from Cauvery and Yettinahole, with tenders floated in six engineering-procurement- construction (EPC) packages. An EPC package is a turnkey contract where the contractor handles the entire process- engineering design, procurement of materials, and construction- till the project is ready for use. The project, expected to be completed in three years, will cover 18 established and proposed industrial areas near Bengaluru, with an estimated requirement of 196 MLD (million litres per day).

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KIADB Chief Executive Officer M Mahesh told Moneycontrol:  “We have invited tenders for the project in six packages at an estimated cost of around Rs 2,000 crore. The main purpose is that most of our industrial layouts are located in Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, and Chikkaballapur, where the absence of surface water is a major issue. Some industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing, requires fresh water supply. While a portion of the demand can be met through treated water, they also need fresh water, which is a bottleneck at present. About 2.5 TMC of water will be drawn from the Cauvery. Water Resources Department will provide the allocation, while the work from the source to the industrial layouts will be executed by us.”

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While Cauvery remains the city’s major water source, the state government aims to complete Yettinahole project within the next two years, which is expected to benefit 75 lakh people across nine districts. The industrial areas in and around Bengaluru cover 55,000 acres, of which 20,000 acres fall within the Cauvery basin and the remaining 35,000 acres lie outside it. Units in Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, and Chikkaballapur have so far depended on treated water or borewells, while the proposed supply is intended to meet both industrial and drinking needs.

Package 1 involves an EPC contract covering the design, supply, and commissioning of infrastructure to carry Cauvery water to impounding reservoirs at Agara and Maddur tanks, supported by pumping stations near Channapatna. The works include new jackwells (intake structures to draw river water), pump houses, raising mains of up to 2,235 mm in diameter, and enhanced reservoir storage of over 2 TMC (thousand million cubic feet).

Package 2 will see the construction of intermediate pumping stations near Channapatna and Magadi, installation of vertical turbine pumps, and laying of a 64 km pipeline network. A master balancing reservoir (a central storage facility to regulate supply) will be built at Dobaspet to stabilize distribution.

In Package 3, KIADB has planned a gravity main (pipeline carrying water by gravity without pumping) from the master balancing reservoir to the Vemgal Industrial Area. The package also includes tank restoration works at Bettakote Ammanikere, Hunasur, Talagavara Amanikere, Perjenahalli Doddakere, Singehalli Doddakere, and Amani Badranakere to boost storage capacity.

Package 4 will extend pipelines to Malur and nearby industrial areas, along with improvements to Narasapura (Belluru Amanikere), Shivarapatna Amanikere, and Kasaba Maluru Dodda Kere. Package 5 involves laying a gravity main from Doddaballapura junction to Gowribanadur, supplemented by tank upgrades at Kadalamalakunte Malleswara and Doddakurugodu. Package 6 will build a jackwell-cum-pump house and a rising main from the Yettinahole gravity canal to the KWIN City area, including pumping machinery and restoration of roads along the pipeline route.

Also, read: Bengaluru water board plans dedicated pipeline to supply treated water to industries