To address the water shortage in Bengaluru, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will come together to provide water through tankers for free in some areas.
The BWSSB will deploy around 68 tankers while the BBMP will deploy around 267 tankers in 110 areas under its jurisdiction. Neither agency will charge money for this service since many of the areas are affected due to technical faults of the BWSSB.
If residents in other areas want to add water tanker service to tackle water shortage problems, they will have to pay Rs 540 per tanker. “The BWSSB won’t be charging a single paise from people where Cauvery water supply is affected. In these areas, our tankers will supply water for free," BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath said as per Times of India.
However, water tanker suppliers in Bellandur have come under fire recently for charging more money and providing water to the highest bidder. The BWSSB is planning to resolve the problem by making trade licenses compulsory for water supply tankers.
Tariffs will also be announced for water tankers and a separate committee has been formed to look into it. "The tariffs are determined based on various factors including water supply area, the location of the source of water, the type of vehicle, type of fuel and so on. Based on this, exact tariffs will be set,” said BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad speaking to Deccan Herald.