Bengaluru: With temperatures climbing earlier than usual in Bengaluru, BWSSB has identified 448 high-alert water-stressed pockets and launched a Rs 10.1-crore summer preparedness plan to prevent shortages. Officials said these are not large layouts or entire colonies, but small, concentrated micro-pockets within larger supply zones.According to IMD, daytime temperatures in Bengaluru are expected to hover between 29° and 30° Celsius. The city recorded 30° Sunday, while areas around KIA are likely to see a further rise in the coming days. Unlike previous years, when emergency measures were triggered after complaints increased, BWSSB this time mapped vulnerable areas in advance. Most of the identified pockets are interior stretches in north and east Bengaluru, where residents depend heavily on groundwater and borewell sustainability remains uncertain. Officials said these are limited clusters where drinking water access could become critical if groundwater levels fall sharply between March and May.To address the risk, BWSSB will deploy 1,260 mini-water tanks across its four zones. Each Sintex tank, with a capacity of 5,000 litres, will serve as a local drinking water buffer in stress-prone areas.In addition, 117 BWSSB tankers have been earmarked for deployment, while 104 private tankers have been identified to be hired as backup if required. About 60 additional tankers have also been arranged in anticipation of rising demand. Standard BWSSB tankers carry between 6,000 and 12,000 litres.To improve distribution, 91 additional Cauvery water filling points are planned. The Board has also arranged filling support for 196 reverse osmosis plants across the city. Further, 47 water infrastructure works and 14 lake-filling projects are under way to strengthen local water availability during peak summer.Officials said this year’s approach focuses on decentralised storage and quicker tanker turnaround.The early preparedness comes amid higher-than-normal Feb temperatures and uncertainty over groundwater levels. However, BWSSB chairman Ram Prasath Manohar V said the city is better placed than it was in 2024. “I don’t see much summer difficulty for the city; we are well prepared this year,” he said, pointing to improved Cauvery supply capacity.Under the Cauvery Stage V augmentation, BWSSB now has a total pumping capacity of 773 million litres per day (MLD), of which around 400 MLD is currently being utilised. “We still have more than 40% additional pumping capacity available. Even in a worst-case scenario where groundwater levels fall more than expected, we can match the requirement with Cauvery water,” he said.One of last year’s challenges was the incomplete commissioning of newly added villages under the expanded BWSSB limits. According to Manohar, most of these areas have now been integrated into the supply network. Only four villages in the east and four in the north remain pending due to land disputes. “Except those, all are fully commissioned,” he said, adding this reduces overdependence on borewells in peripheral areas. Manohar has directed chief engineers, assistant executive engineers and water inspectors to conduct daily field visits to monitor supply on the ground.He also warned against misuse of Cauvery drinking water for non-essential purposes such as car washing, stating that violators will face penalties and enforcement will be strengthened during summer.Last year, parts of east and north Bengaluru saw borewells run dry, tanker queues lengthen and private tanker prices surge. BWSSB’s advance mapping and expanded logistics aim to prevent a repeat as peak summer approaches over the next two months.______________Table 1DESCRIPTIONExisting (Total)Additional Requirement (Total)Final totalSyntex tanks5307301,260Board tankers5265117Private tankers5252104Cauvery connect centre – tanks 111021Cauvery connect centre – Additional filling points375491Filling of RO plants 14254196No. of works planned—4747Lake filling works 14014Total cost requirements (Rs in lakh)–6791,014Table 2 Some water-stressed areasNorth (122)West (146)East (59)South (121)1. DJ Halli1. Hale Guddadahalli1. Nalluralli1. Bandepalya2. Devi Nagara2. Bapuji Nagar2. Nagagondanahalli2. Chamarajpete3. Kunthigrama3. Mysore Road3. Varanasi3. Ragi Gudda4. Chokkanahalli4. Mahalakshmi Layout4. K Channasandra4. Hosakerehalli5. Geddalahalli5. Nandini Layout5. Brundavan Layout5. Vittal Nagar6. Narayanapura Colony Source: BWSSB
