Stop borewell surcharge, remove RWH deadline

by December 27, 2011 Environment

Residents object BWSSB collecting borewell surcharge and the plans to stop supply of drinking water for non-compliance of RWH rules.

Residents of 4th Block and 5th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore have written to Dr V S Acharya, Minister for Higher Education, and S Suresh Kumar, Minister for BWSSB on their problems with BWSSB’s rules on Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and the deadline of December 31st. They write:
 
Dear Sir,
We would like to bring the following facts to your notice, and request that you use your good offices to safeguard the interests of the general public of Bangalore City.

As we all know, Bangalore Development Authority has obtained the legislative sanction to allot sites to all residents of Bangalore who have paid the value in full. The clause in the agreement has specifically stated the schedule of the property as follows:-
‘All the piece and parcel of site, together with all rights, appurtenances whatsoever, whether underneath or above the surface.’

1.    This means that all elemental forces like earth, water, air and sunlight are part of the property owned by the purchaser. If BWSSB wants to control over the water part of this property, they should necessarily obtain the sanction through the state legislature. But, they have transgressed their limits and gone ahead collecting surcharge from residents who have spent their money to construct the bore-wells and also paid for installation of the pumps. We now have the right to challenge this and demand return of this surcharge money to us.

2.    If ground water within the limits of our site is allowed to be taxed as surcharge every month, the day will not be far off if the earth, air and sunlight may also be taxed. We may be asked to pay ‘surcharge’ for growing plants like coconut trees, flowers and vegetables within the limit of our site.

3.    RAIN WATER HARVEST SCHEME
This anarchical state of affairs regarding Rainwater Harvesting by threatening the residents to disconnect the supply of drinking water can never be allowed to have its sway by any law-abiding citizen who has been paying property tax to the BBMP. Time is ripe for all citizens to cry halt to this authoritarian demand by the BWSSB who have no legislative sanction to take away our right to live. Will the government respond to our objection to stop supply of drinking water as announced by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board? Please accede our request that Rainwater Harvesting should not be made mandatory and see to it that there is no disconnection of drinking water.

4.    Several hundred natural water tanks in and around Bangalore city have been destroyed and the space converted into building sites. Government has thousands of crores of rupees as profits by sales of these sites and hence is largely responsible for the ground water level being diminished to a great extent.

 

⊕

Sections:

About News Desk

The News Desk at Citizen Matters puts out Press Releases, notifications and curated information useful to the urban reader.
Read more by News Desk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Commuters, vendors bear the brunt of rising air pollution in Chennai’s Ambattur

by January 13, 2026 Environment
IIT-M’s Project Kaatru finds high PM2.5 levels at Ambattur Estate, Padi flyover and Dairy Road, exposing residents to dust and pollution daily.

Commuters passing through Ambattur Industrial Estate inevitably find a layer of dust coating their vehicles, faces, and hands. For Lalitha*, a domestic worker employed at a high-rise apartment near Padi flyover’s Saravana Stores, the last two weeks of December have been especially unbearable. "Dust, dust, dust everywhere," she says, coughing through a persistent cold. At 6 pm, when the rush hour begins, it takes her nearly 30 minutes by bus to cover the 5 km journey home. The ride to the Dunlop area is punctuated by pollution, blaring horns, and endless traffic snarls. “It should take 15 minutes usually, but…

Continue reading

Similar Story

முதல்வர் சீக்கிரம் அடிக்கல் நாட்ட வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக அறிவியல்  ஆய்வுகளைப் புறந்தள்ளுவதா?

by January 9, 2026 Environment
CRZ clearance has been granted for a new drinking water reservoir in the naturally formed coastal salt marshes in Chengalpattu near Chennai.

செங்கல்பட்டு மாவட்டம், திருப்போரூர் மற்றும் திருக்கழுக்குன்றம் வட்டங்களுக்குட்பட்ட வருவாய் கிராமங்களில், இயற்கையாக அமைந்துள்ள கழுவேலி, உப்பங்கழி நீர்நிலையில், புதிய குடிநீர் நீர்த்தேக்கம் அமைக்க CRZ அனுமதி வழங்கியுள்ளது மாநில கடற்கரை ஒழுங்குமுறை மண்டல ஆணையம். இத்திட்டத்தின் முதல் கட்டத்தில் நெம்மேலி, கிருஷ்ணகாரனை, தண்டலம், பட்டிபுலம், திருப்போரூர், மாமல்லபுரம், சலுவான்குப்பம், பையனூர் ஆகிய வருவாய் கிராமங்களுக்குட்பட்ட 4375 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவில் வருவாய்த்துறை, நீர்வளத்துறைக்குச் சொந்தமான இடங்களில் நீர்த்தேக்கம் அமைக்கத் திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. 1.655TMC கொள்ளளவு கொண்ட இந்நீர்த்தேக்கம் மேற்கூறிய கிராமங்களைச் சேர்ந்த 50 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட மக்களின் குடிநீர்த் தேவையைப் பூர்த்தி செய்யும் எனவும் அருகாமை கிராமங்களின் வெள்ள பாதிப்பைக் குறைக்கும் எனவும் அரசுத் தரப்பில் கூறப்படுகிறது. Map showing components of the Kovalam reservoir. Pic courtesy: Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department. இத்திட்டத்திற்கான விண்ணப்பத்தை 17.11.2025 அன்று  தொழில் நுட்ப  வல்லுநர் குழு பரிசீலித்தது. 20.11.2025 அன்று  மாநில கடற்கரை  மண்டல ஆணையம் விண்ணப்பத்தைை பரிசீலித்து CRZ அனுமதிக்கு பரிந்துரைக்கிறது.…

Continue reading