HUBLI: The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board has come under the scanner ever since the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, criticised it for failing to ensure regular water supply in Hubli-Dharwad.

The authorities concerned, including the Secretary, Department of Forests, who is the Secretary in charge of the district and is entrusted with the task of overseeing the arrangements, were also criticised by Mr. Dharam Singh. However, it did not take away the focus from the board.

Responsibility

The board has the responsibility of ensuring bulk supply and distribution of water to nearly 10 lakh people. Two years ago, it was given the additional responsibility of distribution also, which was hitherto in the hands of the municipal corporation. There has hardly been any improvement in the situation since.

Though the board has been drawing 16 million gallons a day (mgd) of water from the Malaprabha and another 1.5 mgd from the Neersagar, it has not be able to ensure regular water supply.

Elected representatives including Prahlad Joshi, MP, and Basavaraj Bommai, MLC, have refuted the board's claim that water is being supplied once in five days. In many areas, water is received only once in 10 to 12 days, they said.

The managing director of the board, Srinivasa Reddy, admitted the gap in the supply.

The Chief Minister said that the situation prevailing in the twin cities did not bring credit to the Government.

The board's handling of bulk water supply has never been satisfactory, ever since it completed the first phase of augmentation from Malaprabha. It was noticed that the main line bringing water from Malaprabha to Amminbhavi pumping station had developed leaks, which was attributed to the use of pre-stressed cement concrete pipes instead of cast iron pipes.

The problems in ensuring regular supply were attributed to power failure, absence of sufficient pumping capacity, absence of ground-level and over-ground reservoirs in the twin cities.

Nearly Rs. 100 crores has been spent on improvements and a separate pipeline was laid to replace the one that was leaking. The pumping capacity was augmented and new jackwells were built. The board now claims that the distribution system needs to be replaced at a cost of Rs. 60 crores.

`No coordination'

Since the beginning there has been no coordination between the board and the municipal corporation, with the latter being pilloried for the shortcomings in supply. Even the accounts of the two regarding the cost of the projects, for which the corporation has taken loans and is paying interest, differ.

It has now been officially acknowledged that nearly 40 per cent of the population is outside the water supply system operated by the board.

Almost all the new colonies, which have come up on the outskirts of the twin cities, are outside the purview. Even among the areas covered, the supply is erratic and uncertain, with people getting supply once in 10 days.

The supply they get is nearly half of the 100 litres per capita fixed by the Planning Commission, according to Mr. Bommai. The poor quality of work and absence of political leadership are the main reasons for the situation, he says.

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