Bengaluru: Keen on rescuing residents of 110 villages on Bengaluru city’s periphery from the tanker cartel in the coming summer, BWSSB has decided to establish 10 centres in these areas from where 6,000 litres of Cauvery river water can be purchased for Rs 90.
The catch, however, is that the residents are expected to arrange tankers to transport water from these ‘Cauvery Connect Centres’ to their houses or apartments. While tanker-hiring rates depend on several factors, including distance and the source of water, many areas pay between Rs 400 and Rs 700 for a tanker load of 5,000 litres.
Bengalureans are aghast at the rationale behind the move. They say if BWSSB’s intention is to save them from the tanker mafia, how can it expect them to arrange for tankers to ferry the water as they can’t afford to own these vehicles and will have to go back to tanker owners.
While BWSSB maintains it can only ensure availability of water, the residents asked: “How different is this from the way the tanker business operates currently? Does the BWSSB expect all apartments to own tankers?”
Anita Desai, a resident of Munnekolala who depends on water tankers every summer, said, “While the idea of providing Cauvery water is good, the method isn’t. There will be more fights to book the tankers now and the mafia will not be curbed. The tanker owners will charge more and reserve spots for those who pay more.”
Ravi Kumar, from Sarjapura, said, “BWSSB is not resolving the problem. Instead, it’s creating more. Now, there will be a tanker war for booking it to fill water, which again leads to tanker mafia.”
BWSSB chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said: “Our first goal is to increase Cauvery connections to every household. We want to ensure every household in 110 villages gets good water. Therefore, these 10 Cauvery Connect Centres have been designed.”
BWSSB has 42 tankers, but none of them is used for delivering water. “We use these tankers during emergencies. Providing Cauvery water through tanker is not our basic task. If people need it, they should get their tankers at the approved cost,” a BWSSB official said.