Urban News

The Hindu 25.08.2009

Pure drinking water for walkers at Sankey Tank

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Walkers at Sankey Tank need not worry about safe and pure drinking water anymore. Two drinking water kiosks were inaugurated at Sankey Tank by Bangalore North MP D.B. Chandre Gowda and Minister for Information Technology Katta Subramanya Naidu here on Monday.

The kiosks have been set up under the Safe Drinking Water scheme with funds from the Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme. The Malleswaram MLA, under whose jurisdiction the tank falls, is Ashwath Narayan. The two kiosks will be maintained by Aquaguard, he told The Hindu.

“In the first stage, we want to set up 15 such kiosks near schools, bus-stands and the K.C. General Hospital. The idea is to provide citizens access to clean and safe drinking water and help reduce dependence on bottled water. Paper cup dispensers will also be provided in the kiosks. Aquaguard has tied up with a non-governmental organisation which will recycle cups that have been dropped in the bins provided for the purpose,” Mr. Ashwath Narayan said.

He said water supplied by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) would be collected in a 6,000-litre capacity sump, which would be pumped into an overhead tank.

Water from the tank would then be supplied to the water purifier, which eliminates bacteria, virii, chemicals and physical impurities.

Mr. Ashwath Narayan said he hoped to set up as many as 30 such kiosks in his constituency. “We will soon set up a working model of a rainwater harvesting system outside Sankey Tank to create awareness among people,” he added.

Speaking to presspersons later, the Minister said the reservation list for delimited wards of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike would be announced soon. About V. Sommanna’s defeat in the Govindrajanagara bypolls, he said the party was united and any decision would be announced by senior party leaders.

Indian Express 24.08.2009

PMC fails to enforce 30 pc water cut

The State Water Resources Minister Ajit Pawar’s directive to cut the city’s water supply by 30 per cent to ensure regular supply during the rest of the year have apparently not been implemented.

Pune has been getting reprieve from 30 per cent water cut at the moment, as the PMC has not carried out the minister’s directive

Normally the city needs 1005 million litres of drinking water per day. As the PMC has not been able to implement the cut entirely, the city is even now getting upto 900 MLD of water, with the cut being only around 10 per cent.

The water supply is routed through Khadakwasla pipeline (60 per cent) and the irrigation canal (40 per cent). In June, when the irrigation department announced a 40 per cent water cut, water supply from Khadakwasla Irrigation Canal was stopped. It cannot do so now because of a drought-like situation. Farmers need “protected irrigation” to save their crops, according to Union Agriculture Ministry instructions.

Senior PMC officials, however, admitted that they were drawing water from the canal for the city’s drinking water supply as usual. Irrigation officials said they have left it to the PMC to implement the water cut. “PMC has to apply the water cut. They have to use less water,” said Avinash Surve, superintending officer, Khadakwasla Irrigation System.

The water flow in Khadakwasla canal continues to be 1100 cusecs. Senior Irrigation officials said they had not lowered the gates at Parvati water works to reduce rate of water as they do not want to jeopardise the PMC’s ongoing planning. “It will take a few days for them to draw a new time table for the water cut and plan its implementation,” said Shivaji Bolbhat, executive engineer, Khadakwasla Irrigation System. “We have a certain quota for the corporation. We will not be able to supply more water later if they use up their quota now,” he added.

“If we are getting more water, it is better for the city. Our policy has been to supply as much water as possible,” said PMC Commissioner Mahesh Zagade. “It is based on demand and supply; if it rains in the next few days, the situation will change,” said Zagade.

Usually by August 15 the reservoirs are full. This year they are only 70 per cent full. Even as the city received rainfall, the catchment areas have gone dry for over two weeks, making no addition to reservoirs.