Deccan Chronicle        06.01.2011

Is the crisis over? City to swap water with Mandya

Jan. 5: Fair exchange: Cauvery water for city, in return for treated water for irrigation. In this win-win situtation Bengaluru could get more Cauvery water for drinking and Mandya and Mysore districts enough water for irrigation.

The plan thought up by a committee constituted by the government to increase its water supply, talks about setting up a treatment plant at the Byramangala reservoir to recycle storm water and non-potable water from the city for use in irrigation in the districts in the Cauvery belt and bring more of the river water to Bengaluru, say sources.

The committee is also considering bringing 10 to 12 tmc of Krishna water to the city. It hopes to divert the Kumaradhara and Nethravathi rivers towards Hemavathi for supply of 4 to 5 tmc to Bengaluru and construct a reservoir at Mekedat, where a hydro electric plant is being planned, for getting another 4 to 6 tmc of water for the city.

The 10-member committee headed by former BWSSB chairman B.N. Thyagaraja is expected to come out with a report on the water requirements of areas under the BDA until 2050. It is also expected to estimate the amount of water available to the city from existing sources like rain water and through water conservation and repairing of leaks in the distribution network.