The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tempers rise as water becomes scarce in city

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Thursday, Mar 24, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tempers rise as water becomes scarce in city

Staff Reporter

BWSSB appeals to people not to take law into their hands

People in areas where there is acute shortage can contact executive engineers for help
Field workers were attacked by residents in Yeshwanthpur, Peenya and Srirampuram last week

Bangalore: Although water scarcity each summer is not new to Bangalore, the shortage this year has become worse though summer has not even peaked.

Frustration levels are high and the usually stoic Bangalore residents are not hesitating to take the law into their hands.

While residents of several areas are staging protests to draw attention to their plight, some have taking to manhandling field workers of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), including valve-men and linemen, to vent their anger.

Staff assaulted

Rudregowda, president of BWSSB Employees' Association, told The Hindu that field workers were attacked by residents in Yeshwanthpur, Peenya and Srirampuram last week.

“This is a problem our employees are facing on Magadi Road too. We are also scared to lodge police complaints because we have to work in the same area and fear that the residents' wrath might aggravate,” he said.

Following an appeal by the Association, the BWSSB Chairperson P.B. Ramamurthy has appealed to people not to resort to violence.

‘We're doing our best'

Explaining that there are disruptions in water supply because of power problems and a limited quantity of 885 million litres of water per day (mld), Mr. Ramamurthy said in a press release that the Board was doing its best to ensure people are not inconvenienced. The demand for water this summer is 1,250 mld.

“Please inform us if there are any disruptions in water supply to your area and we will try to mitigate your problem. We earnestly request to be patient and calm instead of taking law into your hands,” the release said.

Call for help

People in areas where there is acute shortage can contact executive engineers of their respective divisions during office hours for help. Following are the phone numbers:

East: 22945158, West: 22945196, North: 22945130, South: 22945143, Central: 22945187 and South-East: 22945196. Consumers can also call the 24-hour BWSSB call centre on 22238888 or the Public Relations Office on 22945114.

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