Bangalore: Like other slums in the city, public taps used to be the main source of water for residents of Krishnappa Line and Chettiappa Line. Daily bickering and long queues for water were an every day occurrence.

A few years ago, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) chalked out a programme to provide water to the urban poor. It planned to give individual water connections to households at subsidised rates. Meter installation charges were priced at Rs. 800, which could be paid in instalments.

The BWSSB identified 43 slums to implement the programme and roped in eight non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to assist it in this regard.

When the proposal was put forward to residents of Krishnappa Line and Chettiappa Line, it sounded like a good deal. Water at their doorstep was an incentive for them to give up the free water they got at public taps. Soon water connections were given to most households, meters were installed and public taps were removed.

Ramesh, a resident of Krishnappa Line, said: "At first, water supply was regular and more or less throughout the day. Later, the supply was after 8 p.m., moved to 10 p.m. and soon it became an occurrence after midnight." All this while, the water pressure and the amount of water kept decreasing, he added.

During the summer months, there was no water supply. The residents however received bills for the water they had not received. A few residents had been billed up to Rs. 3,000, which included arrears and interest on arrears. A few continued to pay the bills fearing that their connections might be cut. Those living in slightly elevated areas, where water pressure is almost non-existent, have not paid the bills. Srinivas, a resident of Chettiappa Line, asks: "Why should we pay for the water we never received?"

When contacted, BWWSB official in-charge of this initiative Salma Sadiq said that the problem had arisen because the number of connections in the two slums increased over the past two years. Ms. Sadiq said those who have not received water need not pay the bills.

"The bills are computer generated and that is why they appear regularly. The Chief Engineer has submitted a proposal and the amount will be waived of," she said.

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