“We had to take Cauvery connections as the common borewell tap went completely dry last summer. Even then, we cannot get a bucket of water without using motors,” said Hajira Bhanu, resident of Triveninagara slum in KR Pura. This slum — ‘declared’ or officially recognised by the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) — is comparatively developed. Yet the only water source for nearly 60 houses here is the Cauvery, which comes very faintly for less than three hours, twice a week. The residents have installed motors in their homes to draw water, which is considered illegal by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
With Bengaluru extracting 100% of its groundwater, the government is actively pushing more residents to take Cauvery connections. Speaking to Citizen Matters, BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said they are offering connections to slums at subsidised rates. But for slum residents who already have Cauvery connections, the real cost of procuring water is much higher.
Four-fifths of Bengaluru’s 413 declared slums rely on BWSSB’s common borewells for water. But a growing number of slums are now dependent solely on Cauvery water as their borewells have dried up. A few better-off slums have household Cauvery connections while many others have common Cauvery points. But with little Cauvery water in their taps, most of these residents rely on water ATMs.
The situation worsens in summer, forcing them to buy water from private tankers at Rs 800–1,500 for 12,000 litres. Though the BWSSB issues Cauvery water in 2,000 to 5,000-litre tanks to slums under its Mini Water Supply Scheme during summer, not all slums get this facility.
Connections taken, but where is Cauvery water?
Many slums in South Bengaluru, such as Ambedkarnagara, CV Raman Nagara, Mahadevapura, KR Pura and Jayanagara, made a complete switch to Cauvery connections nearly a decade ago as their common borewells dried up. Despite incurring heavy expenses for the meters and storage sumps, their Cauvery supply remains inconsistent.
“Of the two days a week that we receive Cauvery water, BWSSB ends up reducing the hours, and sometimes skip days altogether. How are we supposed to manage when Cauvery is the only source for more than 170 houses?” asks Maruti, leader at Sanjaynagara slum. Residents in this declared slum also rely on motors to draw water.
“I believe this water scarcity is politically caused. How is it that on BWSSB’s inspection days water comes in full force, and on other days there is no water without motors?” asks Muniraju M, Triveninagara resident. Radhamma, another resident, says she doesn’t get enough water despite having spent over Rs 1 lakh on Cauvery connection and motor replacements over the past three years.
Read more: Promise of Cauvery Stage V: Will Bengaluru’s lifeline overcome hurdles to quench city’s thirst?
In the 35-year-old Battarahalli slum, Devaraj, a resident, says they incurred huge expenses to get Cauvery connections a decade ago. Though they initially got free water as per election campaign promises, BWSSB started charging them since this March on account of the city’s water crisis, he says. The charges are a huge burden on the families here who earn the bare minimum as daily wagers.
“Now that they started billing us, they should at least provide sufficient water. How is faint water for merely three hours sufficient for more than 80 houses to store in drums?” asks Kavita, another resident here.
Cauvery water comes and goes, so fast
Citizen Matters observed that water is released for only 2-3 hours on alternative days in many slums, regardless of their size, making it an unreliable source.
“We have more than 1,000 houses in our slum. But Cauvery water is given only for two hours, on alternative days. How is it practically possible for all houses to collect water in such a short span?” asked Prashanth, resident of KG Byadarahalli slum.
Many residents said their complaints and letters go unheeded and all they can do is request the valve operator to increase the water pressure or duration. “In many cases, he has stopped water when we raised complaints,” said a slum resident on condition of anonymity.
“The valve operator keeps changing the water release timings and doesn’t inform the families. We end up bribing them sometimes just to get water on time,” said MRS Palya slum residents.
A valve operator, requesting anonymity, said, “All we do is follow instructions. On humanitarian basis we extend durations occasionally. But unless we get a direct order from BWSSB, we cannot make decisions either.”
BWSSB has not responded to Citizen Matters‘ request for data on the number of slums it supplies Cauvery water to.
No solution for water contamination
Users of Cauvery water falling sick and stopping their consumption is a recurring problem in Bengaluru. But its impact on the slum residents is worse as many cannot afford alternative sources or water filters.
“Many drinking water pipes are closer to the drainage pipelines. Whenever the drain pipe leaks or breaks, it ends up contaminating the drinking water. We respond to these complaints swiftly, but we cannot uproot the whole city and change the century-old pipelines,” said a BWSSB Public Relations official, on condition of anonymity.
“No matter how many times BWSSB repairs the broken sewage lines, we keep receiving contaminated water,” said Sujatha, resident of Gangabhavani slum which is home to more than 500 families. Cauvery being their sole source, residents boil or strain the water and store it in drums.
“For the first half hour, we let the dark, smelly water out of the taps, and then collect the clear water for use,” said Kavita, Battarahalli resident. Drinking the water makes them prone to diseases. Besides, they get billed for the contaminated water they let out.
“I have fallen ill multiple times with fever and throat issues upon drinking Cauvery water,” said a Bandhavyanagar slum resident on condition of anonymity. Residents of Vyalikaval slum stopped consuming Cauvery water when they saw white worms in the tap water six months ago. Muzamir, Sanjaynagara resident, says he spends Rs 300 each on Cauvery water and the water ATMs monthly, as the Cauvery water containing worms is unsuitable for drinking and cooking.
Though BWSSB claims to treat all customers equally, NGOs say this isn’t the case. “Slum residents’ lack of awareness puts them at a disadvantage. If water is released for a short period, they contact only the valve operator. But in high-income areas, people directly reach out to BWSSB engineers and badger them. And if they see worms in the water, the issue would make it to the headlines. Whereas slum residents continue to filter and use the water,” says I S Patil, coordinator, KR Pura constituency at the NGO Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA).
“We need borewells to survive”
While slums with individual Cauvery connections don’t get sufficient water, many slums in North Bengaluru such as Vyalikaval, Mathikere, Laggere and Hebbal still rely mainly on BWSSB borewells. BWSSB and Slum Board have installed common Cauvery taps in a few slums, but the quality and quantity is so compromised that residents inevitably turn to borewells.
“We have one Cauvery public tap from which water is released on alternative days. But that is so little and for barely three hours, so not all 200 houses in our slum can fill up their drums,” said Sridevi, resident of Muthyalanagara slum. Residents here control the valves of two BWSSB borewells which is their primary source, despite poor sanitation in the vicinity.
Pic: Harshitha Padmavinod
“During summers, it gets very difficult since the borewells dry up. But in other seasons, borewell water is all we can rely on,” said Tharunnisa, resident of Bandhavyanagara. Here residents rely on one borewell for most of their needs. Cauvery water comes very faintly on alternative days in common taps shared by 2-3 families.
BWSSB Public Relations office stated they have not received water-related complaints this summer and that the crisis is being handled efficiently. “In case of scarcity, we send tankers. People can also complain to their ward’s Assistant Executive Engineer, and we will resolve the issue immediately.”
Collective action is key for getting Cauvery connections
Residents of many declared slums have gone from struggling to get a single pot of water to having individual Cauvery connections, with the help of community organisations like Association for Voluntary Action and Service (AVAS), APSA, Maarga and Slum Janandolana.
“The first step to demanding what’s rightfully yours is getting your slum declared,” said Arjun, Sanyasikunte slum resident and AVAS member.
Sridevi from Muthyalanagara slum said it took more than three years of efforts to get their slum declared in 2008.
However, getting their slum declared doesn’t guarantee basic facilities for residents. Though equal citizens in theory, slum residents with Cauvery connections still have no access to sufficient, quality water.
[While declared slums suffer from water crises, the plight of residents in thousands of undeclared slums is worse. We explore this in Part 2 of this series.]
not only in slum areas but in cities also facing water problem I am staying in Bellandur kvr layout, who gives more money they get water even getting connection bwssb the inspector is a syco person he mad money inour area we don’t have much hoses but even though he torture us very badly many times I complained to bwssb but no use