The overflowing Bheemeshwara at Torekadanahalli (T.K. Halli) in Mandya district will affect Bengaluru’s drinking water supply for two days, as two pumping stations in the region, from where the Cauvery water is pumped out, have been flooded. The pumps are expected to be fully functional again by Wednesday.
In a press release, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) said that more than 50 areas, including Malleswaram, Seshadripuram, Indiranagar, Sadashivanagar, Kengeri, and others, will not get drinking water for Monday and Tuesday.
“As there is heavy rainfall in the T.K. Halli region, the second stage machinery of the third and fourth division which supplies water to Bengaluru has been flooded,” the release said.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who visited T.K. Halli on Monday, said that a pumphouse of 550 MLD capacity (stage four, phase two) and one of 330 MLD (stage three, phase two) capacity were flooded owing to Sunday’s rains.
“Yesterday night (Sunday), Bheemeshwara river overflowed and entered the pumphouse and caused the damage along with rainwater and overflow from lakes nearby. The water level in the river has gone 1.5 metres above the highest flood level. These water levels were not seen in the last 75 years,” he said.
He asked citizens of Bengaluru not to panic as two other 550 MLD capacity pumps were functioning properly and the BWSSB chairman, the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department, and other officials were on the task of getting the damaged pumps ready.
“At stage four pumphouse, 12 feet of water has already been removed and the remaining will be cleared by tomorrow morning. At the stage three pumphouse, water has already been drained and after the pump and motor are fully dry, 330 MLD water will be pumped to Bengaluru by tomorrow evening,” he said on Monday.
The CM also directed the officials to build a concrete retaining wall around the station to prevent future rain damage. He stated that money would soon be released for the same.
He also said that as a contingency plan for Bengaluru to ensure that there is no lack of drinking water, the BWSSB and the BBMP have been directed to charge the 8,000 and 3-4,000 borewells which come under them respectively, and release water to the houses.
Mr. Bommai said that such rain situations were unprecedented in the State. “Since November, heavy rains have been on and off. We did not see summer this time. All the lakes in the State are full and the rainwater is also getting mixed with it and flowing in valleys. We are coming up with contingency plans to regulate the situation,” he said.
