110 villages may soon get Cauvery water supply.

Residents of 110 villages that were added to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike limits in 2007 can now hope to get piped drinking water supply.

Armed with a Rs. 4,600-crore proposal to supply Cauvery water to these areas and lay underground drainage lines, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has now started the process of getting the Centre's approval for availing Japan International Cooperative Agency aid to give effect to the project.

BWSSB chairperson Anjum Parvez, who met JICA officials in New Delhi recently, told The Hindu that the proposal will be submitted to the Centre in a fortnight.

'JICA officials have responded favourably and we are quite positive about getting funds for this project,' he said. The State's Urban Development Department has already given its nod for the project.

The 110 villages are spread across 245 sq km. The project involves laying of 10,000 km of drinking water and underground drainage lines, and construction of 10 ground-level reservoirs.

A similar proposal submitted to the Centre in 2009 had been struck down. BWSSB was then asked to identify alternative sources of water. Also, the Centre instructed BWSSB to provide information about city’s population based on 2011 Census figures as the original proposal cited 2001 Census figures.

Being extra cautious this time, BWSSB officials drafted the proposal keeping in mind the needs of the people in 2019. The idea is to cater to the drinking water needs of these villages for the next 30 years. Total requirement for 110 villages is estimated to be 270 million litres of water per day (mld). BWSSB is confident of meeting this requirement by conserving the 46 per cent of 1,350 mld that is lost daily because of transmission and distribution loss, unauthorised connections and leakage.

'If all goes well, we wish to start work on the project by May or June,' Mr. Parvez added.


THE HINDU