Bengaluru water board to supply treated water to Wipro, HAL, and others

Many IT companies, including Wipro and HAL, have already requested zero-bacterial water.

To tackle water scarcity in the city, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will provide zero-bacterial treated water to technology firms such as Wipro and defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

BWSSB chairman Ramprasad Manohar said their engineers have indigenously developed zero-bacterial treated water technology, certified by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) scientists.

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Manohar said any establishments, including Wipro and HAL, have already requested zero-bacterial water. "Wipro, for instance, has requested three lakh liters of water per day. They require 25% of the total water consumption for purposes such as gardening, cleaning, and cooling. This zero-bacteria water will aid in preserving fresh water. Wipro's campus relies on borewell water, which is costly and has a higher salt content, necessitating additional processing. The treated water has lower Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and is more efficient and cost-effective." Manohar said.

He further explained, "This zero-bacterial treated water, devoid of harmful bacteria, is suitable for all purposes except drinking. We can produce 1 crore liters of zero-bacterial treated water daily. This new technology has now been implemented in Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Agra, KC Valley, and Bellandur in Bengaluru East which has more tech parks."

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He said that IISC scientists have conducted tests both at the outlets of STP treatment tankers and in their laboratories, certifying the water's zero-bacterial quality.

The chairman said increasing treated water can reduce the demand for Cauvery water. "Many tech parks have expressed interest, and, likely, 1 crore liters of treated water will soon be provided to tech parks," he remarked.

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He also said that they recently convened a meeting with the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), and based on the discussions, they are supplying treated water. "HAL has also shown interest for treated water," he added. About 1800 MLD of sewage is generated in Bengaluru city daily, of which 1200 MLD is treated through STPs.