BENGALURU BUZZ

Ways to manage water To tackle the water crisis , the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has banned using potable water to clean vehicles, gardening, construction, fountains, swimming pools and entertainment other than drinking water in cinema halls and malls. It imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 for violators. It is now mandatory to take prior approval ahead of drilling borewells in the city's limits, as over 3,000 borewells have dried up. The transport department has been asked to impound private water tankers. The water shortage has hit citizens in various ways. Many reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water plants…

Post-Diwali air still polluted There was a slight dip in the air pollution levels during the Diwali days (from November 12th to November 14th) this time compared to last year, according to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).  The average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the KSPCB station of Jayanagar on the first day was 214, a decline from 254 last year. On the second day, it was 248 (poor category), still better than 312 (very poor category) in 2022. The average AQI for the three days was 234, against last year’s 257.  The uptick was issued for 39 stations,…

24 TMC Cauvery water for city The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is drawing up a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to use additional 6 tmcft Cauvery water for the drinking water needs of Bengaluru. The government has issued an order to the BWSSB to use 24 TMC of Cauvery water annually for the City and its surrounding areas. After meeting the legal team in the national capital, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, in charge of Water Resources Department, said that the city can use 24 TMC, according to the Supreme Court’s order in 2018. Currently, it is using…

City had highest number of deaths from speeding in 2022 In 2022, the city recorded the highest number of deaths due to speeding of vehicles compared to other cities with a population of more than a million. According to the 'Road accidents in India - 2022', by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the IT city reported 711 deaths due to speeding, followed by Jaipur with 683 deaths and Delhi with 648 deaths. However, the highest number of accidents due to speeding was reported by Indore (4,338) followed by Bengaluru (3,528). There was a rise in road accidents in…

Heavy metals in vegetables cross safe limits There is a high concentration of heavy metals in vegetables as farmers use wastewater to grow them, according to researchers from the Environment Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), through a one-year study led by N Hema. Researchers tested 400 samples of 10 vegetables (brinjal, tomato, capsicum, beans, carrot, green chilly, onion, potato, spinach and coriander) and found contamination above the limits set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The vegetables were from 20 stores, including five high-end supermarkets, five local markets, “organic stores” and Hopcoms. While the maximum permissible limit for…

Probe into fire accidents Mudpipe Cafe, a hookah bar, where a fire broke out on October 18th, was being run illegally as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had given permission only for food catering, said Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara. He added that as the BBMP had failed to verify the business, action would be initiated against the owner and officials.   Mudpipe Cafe is on the fourth floor of the KDP building in Koramangala. The fire force came within five minutes, but Prem Kumar, 29, a chef from Nepal, jumped from the fourth floor and was rushed to…

Purple line, 37 feeder buses The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) operationalised the Baiyappanahalli-KR Puram and the Kengeri-Challaghatta sections of the entire Purple Line. Metro ridership rose to nearly 7 lakh on October 9th, the first day of the opening. The BMRCL said it is running 33 trainsets of six coaches each on the Purple Line that makes 180 trips a day. But the rush was so huge that the BMRCL had to run even Green Line trains on the Purple Line. With the fully operational Line, many commuters said that they preferred the metro to the use of personal…

Stalled BBMP works to resume Civic stalled works in the city will be resumed, according to the directives by the Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar. Broken roads will be repaired while stalled projects, including overflowing rajakaluves, will be fixed. The incomplete works were paused four months ago, due to a pending inquiry by a government-constituted team of IAS officers. Partial payments to contractors and up to 75% of the bills are being cleared, but the special investigation team (SIT) will continue with its investigation. The previous government had sanctioned 353 works costing over Rs 5,000 crore.…

September 29th bandh Normal life came to a halt during the one-day statewide bandh over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute on September 29th. Hundreds of pro-Kannada protesters and farmers were detained and more than 40 flights were cancelled. Many raised their voice against the government’s decision to release water to Tamil Nadu. The bandh was called by the Kannada Okkoota. Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code was imposed, prohibiting the assembly of four or more. Shops, eateries and theatres were shut down, even as schools and colleges declared a holiday as a precautionary measure. Kannada activists barged into a press conference…

60 accident black spots The Bengaluru Traffic Police have identified 60 accident-prone locations or “accident black spots” in the city and have outlined some measures to enhance safety. The list will be submitted to the civic agencies. The black spots have been identified on the State Highway, National Highway, Ring Road, and other roads. Remedial measures include installation of accident zone signboards, construction of skywalks, placement of cat eyes and blinkers, CCTV cameras, rumbler strips, road markings, road humps, street lights, raised centre medians and speed limit signage boards. The report showed that over the past three years, the number…