The Deccan Chonicle 22.11.2010
City in deep waters as reservoir fails to fill up
Nov. 21: People living in areas dependent on the TG Halli reservoir continue to reel under water shortage. On any given day the BWSSB call centre receives at least 35 calls complaining of either no or very little water supply from Mahalakshmi Layout, Basaveswarnagar, Okalipuram, Nandini Layout and Yeshwanthpur as the storage in TG Halli remains low despite the heavy rains received of late.
As on November 10, the reservoir had water only up to 22 ft as against its capacity of 75 ft. So although it is supposed to supply 135 MLD of water to the northern and western parts of the city, it is only supplying 11 MLD, leaving a considerable proportion of the population thirsting for more .
The situation is unlikely to change over the next few months because although the city has received more than its usual share of rain so far this year, the flow of water from the reservoir’s catchment is not as much as expected, say BWSSB engineers.
In normal circumstances TG Halli reservoir is usually full to the brim by September and rain received in October and November is a bonus. But this year although the city received more than the average rainfall between July and August and still more in the months of September and October, the reservoir’s water level went up to only 20 ft and improved by just another 2 ft in November. A committee constituted to look into why the reservoir continues to have poor storage, has blamed blocked channels and the increase in borewells in its catchment area which today supports a bigger population and more business activity than before. Planting of eucalyptus trees in the catchment is also responsible, going by the committee, as their roots absorb a great deal of water.
The committee which has additional chief secretary, urban development, the chiefs of BWSSB 1and KSPCB and others as members, has recommended clearing the channels and putting a brake on the eucalyptus plantations and multiplying borewells to help improve the storage of the reservoir.
While the government has reportedly cleared about 2 kms of the channels so far, water management expert S. Vishwanath says it is also important to constitute a Catchment Management Authority or a River Basin Authority for the Arkavathy. “This agency should coordinate the work of various departments like forest, minor irrigation, watershed and mines and geology to ensure that all tanks and channels are rehabilitated, groundwater exploitation controlled and the catchments restored,” he explains.
Such options obviously need to be explored as it makes more sense to make the most of existing reservoirs like the TG Halli than build more of them like the BWSSB is apparently planning to do to meet the demand for water in the city.
