Bangalore: A recent study taken up by the city-based Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), for the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, has found that more water is used for flushing toilets than for drinking or even bathing. Much of this is water which has been treated to be fit for drinking.

After flushing toilets, bathing, washing clothes, cooking and cleaning of vessels, gardening and washing vehicles come on the list of quantities used up. The study found that 27 per cent of water is used for flushing, 24 per cent for bathing and just 2 per cent for drinking purposes.

The study of water usage pattern covered 1,200 households across different zones of the city and from different socio economic backgrounds. Some commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants were also covered.

Use of water varied with the income of the household, the study found. The highest water consumption of 232 litres a day per person was reported by the affluent and upper middle class families.

Those in the middle income group used 206 litres a day, the lower middle class used 168 litres and in the case of slum dwellers, it was just 66 litres. There were still a good number of people in slums who had to rely on public taps for their water needs.

Conservation

The study found that the concept of water conservation had spread to some extent among users and 20 per cent of households had gone for reducing the number of water used in flushing toilets. Some had gone for water-saving models of smaller cisterns and others regulated the quantity by a simple measure like regulating the float balls in toilet cisterns. CSD chairman and former chief secretary A. Ravidra said: "Though the concept of water conservation is yet to spread across all sections of people, a significant number are willing to go in for water saving methods. Close to 71 per cent of households surveyed are willing to use recycled water in toilets and 48 per cent for gardening or washing cars. This is a good sign." The water situation is fairly good in Bangalore compared with other cities and the BWSSB had been periodically increasing the water supply, he said.

Water from borewells is also used by many households and most apartment complexes. But there was bound to be a limit to how much water can be pumped from the Cauvery. The BWSSB has said that present agreement biding the use of Cauvery water for the city is due to expire by 2010, and a fresh agreement may have to drawn up under the inter-State water sharing protocol to increase usage after that date.

The CSD survey covered households in areas such as Sadashivanagar, Indiranagar, Chandra Layout, Rajajinagar, Nandini Layout, Austin Town, Siddapura and Moodalpalya, including in its scope a wide cross-section of ethnic and linguistic groups.

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