B’luru water body imposes curbs on wastage amid below normal rain

BEngaluru’s irrigate public-service corporation personify has imposed wholesale restrictions on the habituate of drinking water, warning of fines, reduced water supply and other penalties for violations as it moves to conserve supplies as rainfall remains well below normal and groundwater levels fall in parts of the city.The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has issued a series of prohibitory and regulatory orders under Sections 33 and 34 of the BWSSB Act, 1964, banning the use of drinking water for a range of non-essential activities with immediate effect.The restrictions prohibit the use of potable water for washing vehicles, gardening, construction work, road construction and cleaning, decorative fountains and similar recreational features, non-drinking purposes in malls and cinema halls, and filling or maintaining swimming pools.An exception has been made for swimming pools used to train athletes preparing for state and national level competitions, provided prior approval is obtained from the board.Anyone violating the restrictions will face a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 109 of the Act. Repeat violations will attract an additional penalty of ₹500 for each day the offence continues. The board has also asked residents to report violations through its call centre by dialling 1916.In a separate order, the BWSSB directed apartment complexes, shopping malls, commercial establishments, government offices, luxury hotels, restaurants and public places, including religious institutions, to install flow restrictors or aerators on taps and other water outlets used for cleaning by July 31.Failure to comply could lead to a 50% reduction in water supply under Section 53 of the Act, in addition to a fine of ₹5,000 and a further penalty of ₹500 for every subsequent day of non-compliance.The board said the measures were necessary because Bengaluru’s population, including permanent and floating residents, is estimated at about 14 million, making careful management of available drinking water essential. Officials said below normal rainfall had led to declining groundwater levels in several parts of the city.BWSSB chairperson Manjula N said the restrictions had been introduced in response to poor monsoon rainfall and declining storage in the reservoirs supplying the city.According to the board, reservoirs held 203 TMC of water as of Saturday evening, or about 23% of their combined capacity of 895.6 TMC. During the corresponding period last year, storage levels were higher. In the Cauvery basin, available storage stood at 36 TMC against a total capacity of 114.5 TMC.A senior official from the India Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon has recorded a 40% rainfall deficit because of the El Niño effect and that the likelihood of a substantial improvement in rainfall later in the season remained low.As a contingency measure, the BWSSB is preparing 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,” Manjula N said.