Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has announced a 24-hour shutdown of Cauvery water supply across all Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits on June 19 due to maintenance and infrastructure upgrade work. In a public notice, BWSSB said that water treatment plants under all five phases of the Cauvery Water Supply Project will be shut from 6 am on Thursday, June 19, until 6 am on Friday, June 20.
The board has urged residents, commercial establishments, and industrial units to store sufficient water in advance and use it judiciously during this period. According to BWSSB, the shutdown is essential for connecting a new 3,000-mm diameter pipeline to the Cauvery Stage V pipeline at TK Village. Additional works include annual maintenance of power facilities and upgrades mandated by the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited
BWSSB officials said the temporary disruption is a necessary step to ensure uninterrupted and efficient water supply in the long term. Efforts are underway to complete the works within the stipulated timeframe to restore the supply without delay.
The Cauvery Stage V project, which was recently commissioned, aims to reduce Bengaluru's reliance on borewells and private water tankers by expanding piped water access to an estimated 50 lakh new residents through 4 lakh additional connections. The project primarily benefits Bengaluru’s 110 peripheral villages and several outer zones, including Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, Yeshwantpur, Bangalore South, T Dasarahalli, Byatarayanapura, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Kengeri, and Bommanahalli.
Despite its potential, the project has faced criticism due to high deposit costs required for new connections, which residents in several areas say have slowed adoption. The city continues to face a significant water deficit, a shortfall of nearly 400 MLD, with BWSSB supplying approximately 90 crore litres per day (MLD) against a demand of 130 crore litres per day.