Bengaluru wastes 50% of Cauvery water: Survey

IndiaSpend, a data journalism platform, has analysed the water-use data and pointed out, Bengaluru with a population of approximately 8.5 billion, each of them requires about 150 litres of water every day; however, only 65 litres reaches them—which is equal to three flushes of the toilet.   

 

The biggest and the 'burning' issue in southern India, the legal battle between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has already turned violent after the Supreme Court passed a judgement that Karnataka has to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu against the former’s water scarcity plea. However, the IndiaSpend report suggests as much as 49 percent of water is lost in the distribution in Bengaluru.

 

The report said, "The situation will only worsen over next nine years as the water demand of the city was anticipated thrice the present."

 

Bengaluru’s population is 13 times more than any other city in Karnataka, and 50 percent of the total Cauvery water reserved for domestic use is only used in the capital. Out of the total water supplied to Bengaluru, 49 percent is termed as "non-revenue water" or "unaccounted for water", revealed Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) data.

 

In most of the metro cities of India, water loss is a major issue, and Bengaluru ranks second in losing water. Leading the list, Kolkata loses 50 percent of its water while distribution, followed by Bengaluru—with an average loss of 48 percent (according to an Institute of Social and Economic Change study, conducted three years ago). New Delhi and Chennai too are on the list with an average water loss of 26 percent and 20 percent respectively. 

 

'A loss of 46 percent of water in Bengaluru' was admitted by the Former BWSSB chairman, T M Vijaybhaskar in February 2016. "Of 1,400 MLD (million litres per day) of water pumped to the city, 600 MLD goes to waste," he said.

 

The major water leaks were due to the damages and leakages in the water supply system and illegal water connections, mentioned the ISEC research.

 

“Water leakages primarily take place at distribution mains, service pipes and stand posts and together account for 88.5 percent of water spillover, the rest being low leakages at the main valve, meter joint stop valve, ferrule, air valve and others,” the paper said. “This huge loss is directly attributed to the water seepage at various stages of supply.”

 

270 TMC of Cauvery water is allotted to Karnataka, out of which roughly 80 percent of the water is used for agriculture and industry (which is 10 percent lesser than it was used in 2007), estimated the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Raj. After this, only 20 percent of water is left for the rural and urban domestic use, of which Bengaluru records the highest demand.

 

Bengaluru gets about 19 TMC of Cauvery water. Recently, an additional 10 TMC was given by Karnataka state urban development department, to meet the needs of 110 villages added to the metropolitan area in 2007.

 

Also, a formal proposal to increase Bengaluru’s water supply to 30 TMC from the Cauvery basin was sent to the central government.

 

(The data used in this story was taken from an analysis of a data journalism platform, IndiaSpend.)