Deccan Chronicle 06.01.2011
Is the crisis over? City to swap water with Mandya
January 6th, 2011
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.
