As water crisis looms large in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to take over irrigation and commercial borewells to supply water to parched areas.
Speaking to the media after chairing a meeting on drinking water crisis, Mr. Shivakumar said he has directed BWSSB and the zilla panchayat to identify irrigation borewells used for farming and commercial ones and take them over. “We are planning to compensate for taking over irrigation borewells. As water is the property of the State and not of any individual, the State has the right to take over in the time of crisis. The law pertaining to water also allows the State to rope in borewells to ease the crisis.”
Mr. Shivakumar said these water sources will be identified soon and water will be supplied through tankers. He further informed that of the 14,781 borewells in Bengaluru, 6,997 are dried up and 7,784 are functional. The crisis may worsen as already, close to 50% of borewells have dried up.”
