Can Sanchari Cauvery solve Bengaluru's water crisis?
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Treated but not ready: Bengaluru's treated wastewater still unfit even for toilet flushing
Bengaluru: The 34 state-owned sewage treatment plants in the tech capital produce 1,350 million litres of treated wastewater every day, but it is still unfit for even flushing toilets, washing clothes, or watering gardens. Why? A question to this effect by Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad prompted an unusual admission from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB): The city's sewage undergoes only primary treatment (removing large solids) and secondary treatment (removing biological matter using microbes). To make it aesthetically clear, odourless, and safe for urban non-potable uses, it must go through tertiary treatment — a costly, advanced purification stage. The price tag? Around Rs 2 crore per MLD. That's a whopping Rs 2,700 crore to upgrade the entire 1,350 MLD output to make it fit enough for urban non-potable uses like toilet flushing, street cleaning, or washing. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Gold Rates Today in Bengaluru | Silver Rates Today in Bengaluru With the state prioritising welfare schemes and BWSSB struggling to mobilise revenue, the upgrade is not on the horizon. For now, treated water is simply being released into lakes in neighbouring Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Bengaluru Rural districts under the Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley Project. "It is high time we started reusing treated water for non-potable purposes. Considering Bengaluru's topography and its growing water needs, we must leverage technological advancements to improve our water management. Conservation and sustainability should be our focus. During my visits to STPs, I saw that while we made considerable progress, we are still lagging behind in keeping pace with rapid technological changes. When we interact with global experts, it becomes clear that we have much more to do in the way we manage our water," Rizwan Arshad told TOI. Currently, there are around 2,600 treatment plants in apartments, townships and commercial complexes across the city. Some of these treatment plants are sophisticated enough to produce near-potable water but are bogged down by problems such as lack of dual plumbing facilities and conservative user-mindset. These apartments are selling excess treated water for construction sites and industries. In fact, a study done by WELL (Water Environment Land Livelihoods) Labs on wastewater reuse in the Hebbal-Nagawara watershed in northern Bengaluru estimated that only 7% of water was used for toilet flushing in apartments. But for the BWSSB treatment plants to upgrade, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar told the legislature: "This can be considered if there is a strong demand from industries and depending on BWSSB's financial condition." If waste water is subjected to another round of treatment it would reduce biological oxygen demand (BOD) in water from 10mg/l to 5 mg/l, chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 50mg/l to 30 mg/l, nitrogen from 10g/l to 5 mg/l and fecal coliform from 100 MPN/100 ml to 0. "This water can be used for gardening, in industrial cooling towers, toilet flushing and other uses," Shivakumar said. INSET ...but you can drink reused water in Singapore What amazes Bengalureans visiting Singapore is the way the island nation became a global model for water reuse. Singapore reuses water through NEWater, a highly advanced reclaimed water system that turns sewage into safe high-quality drinking water. While Bengaluru has not gone beyond primary and secondary stage of treatment, Singapore has gone past tertiary treatment and deployed advanced purification processes (microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV disinfection). Singapore used to buy drinking water from Malaysia. But by deploying advanced techniques and by investing heavily in public education campaigns aimed to build trust in its processes, Singapore has ensured that 40 % of its water demand is met by NEWater. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
New Indian Express
02-08-2025
- New Indian Express
Illegal connections: BWSSB sends notices to 338 homes
BENGALURU: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which had claimed it is struggling financially and making efforts to shape up, has begun sending notices to 383 homes and apartment complexes over unauthorised water connections, and urged them to get the connections regularised by paying fees along with penalties. Board Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said untreated water from apartments is a big challenge to the board, so they have imposed penalties ranging from a few lakhs to Rs 1crore, depending on the size of the complex. 'By regularizing these connections and imposing penalties, BWSSB is hoping to generate Rs 200 crore in revenue,' he said, adding that since the past 15 days, BWSSB is disconnecting services, and in the next 15 days, the process of regularization will be taken up. The chairman also stated that the BWSSB team used Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) connection data and probed unauthorized BWSSB connections. So far, it has recorded 43,000 such connections across Bengaluru, and officials are following up cases to ensure owners get their connections regularized. A senior official from the BWSSB waste water management said the crackdown on large apartment complexes is to ensure that untreated water comes into the BWSSB's record so plans can be made to ensure contaminated water is treated before it reaches storm water drains and lakes.
Business Standard
26-07-2025
- Business Standard
Va Tech Wabag wins work order of Rs 380 cr
From Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board Va Tech Wabag has secured secured a Design, Build, Operate ('DBO') order funded by World Bank, worth about Rs 380 crore from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) towards Design, Engineering, Construction and Commissioning (EPC) of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) with Tertiary Treatment Facility, Biogas Generation, Solar Sludge Drying Beds and Intermediate Pumping Stations along with associated piping works, scheduled to be completed over 30 months, followed by 10 years of Operation and Maintenance (O&M). These advanced WWTPs, located at four sites in Bommanahalli under the Karnataka Water Security and Disaster Resilience Program, are vital for the region's long-term water sustainability. Utilizing cutting-edge treatment technologies, they enable industrial reuse of tertiary-treated wastewater, reducing freshwater demand and strengthening Bengaluru's water security. The project's green initiative includes anaerobic digestion of sludge to generate biogas, which powers plant operations, lowers external energy use, improves efficiency, and supports broader sustainability goals.
