With poor monsoon rainfall this year attributed to the El Niño effect, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has imposed restrictions on the use of drinking water for non-essential purposes, such as filling swimming pools, washing vehicles, and construction activities.
In a circular issued on Saturday, July 4, the BWSSB prohibited the use of drinking water to fill pools, except those used for training national and state-level athletes. Even in such cases, prior permission must be obtained from the board.
The order also bans the use of drinking water for road and building construction, decorative purposes such as fountains, vehicle washing.
The BWSSB has also made it mandatory for large apartment complexes, malls, hotels, government buildings, restaurants, and other public places such as religious institutions, to install flow restrictors or aerators on taps and other water outlets by July 31.
Violators of these orders will be levied fines of Rs 5,000.
Bengaluru currently receives around 1,950 million litres per day (MLD ) of water from the Cauvery river and another 800 MLD from groundwater sources.
As of July 4, reservoirs in Karnataka were at 23% of their capacity compared to the same period last year.
Water-use restrictions are typically imposed during the summer months, but the weak monsoon this year has prompted the BWSSB to take early precautions and prepare contingency measures to ensure the city's water supply if conditions worsen.
As part of these preparations, BWSSB plans to draw water from the Kabini and Hemavathi reservoirs if required.
“If water is released from Hemavathi or Kabini, it will flow nearly 155 km, and someone might draw it out along the way. We will have to keep a check on this. If that is ensured, it should not be difficult to bring water from these reservoirs,” said Manjula N, chairperson of the BWSSB.
