KIADB wants treated water, BWSSB falls short

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has sought treated water for construction purposes at a new industrial estate coming up near Doddaballapur. Despite having a tertiary treatment plant at Yelahanka, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Treatment Board (BWSSB) does not provide any water for project.The KIADB needs 3 million litres (ML) of water immediately for construction as The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has specified that all large scale constructions have to use treated water to save ground water resources.Even if this rule is taken for granted, there is a ground water shortage in Yelahanka and its surrounding areas for KIADB to start the construction work. This is only the beginning of KIADB’s woes as it had originally sought 40 ML of water.What flummoxes the KIADB officials is the existence of the 10 MLD tertiary treatment plant (TTP) in Yelahanka with a 10 MLD capacity.However, it is currently producing only an average of 2 MLD of treated water. On enquiring officials from various departments including BWSSB, it emerges that there is insufficient sewerage generation in the area to support a 10 MLD treatment plant.“Even with the emergence of new apartment complexes, the sewerage generation cannot reach 10 MLD as apartments now have their own treatment facilities,” explained an official.This only reflects poorly on BWSSB as the BWSSB has already been drawing flak for non-utilisation of existing secondary sewerage treatment plant (STP) facilities.Currently, the city has 14 STPs, but almost all of them do not treat sewerage even half its capacity. In the future, the situation is only going to get worse. Earlier, Water Resources and Hydraulic Consultant and former professor of Civil Engineering Ramaprasad had predicted: “Only 18.6 % of the city’s sewerage can be treated even if the current total capacity of STPs is enhanced to treat 1700 MLD.This is a dismal number and has to be worked out.” Take the example of KIADB itself. It has also asked for 25 ML water for construction purposes for its proposed parks coming up in Hoskote, Mallur, Narasapura, Devangundi and Ambalipura, but the nearest STPs situated in Koramangala and Challagatta Valley are working under half its capacity with the problem again of inadequate sewerage supply as there are insufficient pipes leading the sewerage into the STP.Chairman, Committee for Finding Water Resources to Bangalore, B N Thyagaraja had earlier suggested that treated water be used for agricultural purposes around Bangalore to save ground water resources and while Chairman, Karnataka Pollution Control Board A J Sadashivaiah has repeatedly stressed on private builders to use treated water.Sadly for them, there is no sufficient treated water available.