6,900 government borewells have dried up in Bengaluru, says Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

March 18, 2024 09:06 pm | Updated 10:21 pm IST - Bengaluru

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that of the 14,000 government borewells in the city, almost half of them - 6,900 - have dried up, an indicator of how bad the water crisis in the city is. He was speaking after chairing a review meeting of the drinking water crisis here on Monday.

“We are drilling new borewells in 313 places and rejuvenating 1,200. Funds are not a problem. We have given enough funds for drinking water purposes,” he said.

14 lakes to be filled

The Chief Minister said that treated water will be filled in dry lakes of the city on the lines of the K.C. Valley project. Treated water from K.C. Valley in the city is being used to fill lakes and tanks in Kolar and Chickballapur districts.

“We have identified 14 lakes in the city for the project. This will help revive and improve the underground water table levels around these lakes,” he said.

Role of BBMP and BWSSB

Mr. Siddaramaiah directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials to increase the number of control rooms and attend to complaints of water shortage immediately. “You will be held responsible if people suffer from water shortage,” he told officials.

He said the officials have been directed to commandeer any private tankers, including the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) tankers, to supply water. “Presently, we are supplying after commandeering water from private borewells, including those at malls,” he said.

‘Robotic technology’

Meanwhile, BWSSB Chairman V. Ramprasath Manohar held a meeting with contractors maintaining the BWSSB’s borewells and directed them to adopt robotic technology.

“Many BWSSB borewells have gone dry owing to improper maintenance, mainly because of using the motor even when there is no water. So it is better if we adopt robotic technology to maintain these borewells. This will help the board monitor all borewells, their water levels but can also be programmed such that motors are switched off when the water is not there. This will help in better maintenance of our borewells,” he said.