Happy with BWSSB's services and performance?

I stayed in a well known apartment on ORR and saw multiple trucks entering the complex on a daily basis.

The apartment advertised 24hrs water availability, and I have to say that it wasn't just tall claims, they made sure we had it and I doubt if that had anything to do with BWSSB.

So I guess it fair to assume that all those who rely on other sources for availability of water, would chose "I dont care much"

It would be very interesting to know how many BWSSB users would say "I don't care".

@sanjayv

You say "If anybody votes "I do not care", it will be because they have not bothered to find out more about where their water comes from and how much it costs them,, monetarily and health wise."

My question is how many people know?

I can bet there will be few who don't even know where they get their water from, and these will not be the ones relying only on BWSSB.
In my opnion most people start finding out and care only when there is a trouble. As long there is water available 24hs there is no issue and right now all the big apartments offer it. 

I agree with silkboard that the winner of the poll is likely to be "I don't care" and you are also right, people do not know how much the water costs them and what is the actually cost of water. How many people know that the rich pay less for water than the poor in some cases?

Call me a pessimist but I think not enough people care.

My response is a clear "no", and the reasons are detailed here.

Hopefully, the water-supply outsourcing deal between Mysore City Corporation and JUSCO will provide a good model for other municipalities to follow.

BWSSB is another parastatal that has to be either converted to a regulatory body or just wound up.
 

My house is getting water from CMC, I think. Is it part of BWSSB? Last year, in the summer, the water supply was every 15 days or so. The tanker supply here is also very expensive. In some other places I know, it is around Rs. 200. But here it was Rs. 500 in the summer (now Rs. 300). Should the BWSSB also control the cost of tanker water also.

I think the reason for scarcity is that people are wasting water. Subsidized water should be restricted to 100 liters per day per person. That may be difficult because it will be difficult to know the number of people using single connection.

I live in a small layout in Bangalore West.

This incident took place about 6-7 years back.

When this layout was formed, pvc pipes were laid for water supply.  At that time BWSSB was not providing water to this layout.  Some where during 2001 or 2002 this layout started getting water.

Then all of a sudden before a assembly election, the BWSSB decided to change the pvc pipes with metal pipes.

Project went on like this:

1. Digging of trenches and leaving open for in that condition - 1 to 2 month

2. Pipe laying 10-15 days.  After laying of pipes, the trenches were not closed properly.  The people who closed laid the pipes told that it was not thier responsibility to close the trench.

  Pipes were not laid properly.  No devices and no instruments were used.

3. Visited BWSSB office several times and briefed them about unclosed trenches.

4. Finally one day they closed the trenches by just pulling the mud.

5. I think entire process lasted for 6-7 months.

7. Then corpoartion laid tar on this surface.

8. Afterwards, a house consturction started in a near by site.  The lorries carrying sand, brick etc. started running over this area.

9. When one such lorry passed on this surface, the filled surface caved in and the pipe below the surface started leaking.  When this was brought to the notice of that site owner, he was least bothered to respond.

10. Then for nearly for 1 to 1 1/2 month I called/I visited all most all the BWSSB offices from our layout to Kaveri Bhavan and nothing happened. Nearly 10 visits and 20 to 30 calls.

11. Neighbors started asking why are you not complaining and I told them about this whole story.

12. During one such visit, one of the staff told, that they will award contract only after finding more number of leaks.

13. Finally, some private contractor came and repaired the pipe.  Asked our house and opposite house to pay for the repair and collected the money and went away.

During that one to one and half month period at least I had seen 3-4 places where water was wasting because of breakage.

Whole story taught me one thing.  There is no point in complaining to public offices.

 Ground water table of the city will decrease with excessive borewells. People get permissions by bribing or influence and every home / apartment has got borewells. This is a very bad move.

Our Mayor once he was elected said that he will put Borewells all over Bangalore and connect to regular BWSSB water pipes to resolve Bangalore Water Problem. Once Environmentalists shouted, he kept mum.

Lots of water is wasted especially for washing cars in full pressure. People have to realize the importance of water. Electronic Media is the rightway to educate people. Earlier it was done by Doordarshan. Now with so many channels, no one takes interest for campaign to save water. Short ads when viewership is high for a particular channel such as Worldcup matches will reach more people. 

Privatisation or no privatisation, the first step is that BWSSB should stop loosing money. Its only when better service stops meaning increased losses will things start to change.

As to the the concerns of inclusion and equity dont understand why something like cash transfers cant be tried. Read this: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cashing-in-on-PDS-reforms/Article1-662872.aspx

A number I have heard is Rs 24 per kilo liter considering "production costs" and Rs 37 per kilo liter considering Unaccounted Water (losses and theft).  There is a citation for this based on a study.  Numbers may be outdated because of change in electricity costs.

For reference, most of us pay Rs 8 per kilo liter or so (domestic) assuming you are an avergae consumer.  Tanker water in bangalore costs in the neighborhood of Rs 50 per kilo liter.  In some poor areas where people buy pots of clean water, I have heard that it translates to Rs 300 per kilo liter (did quick math and it made sense).  Rs 10 for a pot of water.

How are these tankers discharging effluents into the treated water channel? Who allows them to do it? According to investigators, including Lake Development Authority’s U V Singh, who was assaulted on Sunday, this happens in connivance with people within the BWSSB.

For the full report in the TOI on the nexus between the waste disposal mafia and BWSSB officials, click here.

The above provides added reason, if required, to show that the BWSSB is incapable of managing its mandate. The answer perhaps lies here.
 

This is another interesting aspect which I was not awareof at all - the fact that BWSSB treats industrial effluents.  This is a real tricky piece.  Domestric sewage is a somewhat more bening item in the sense that it contains mostly water and organic matter.  Some amount of household chemicals and cleaners, detergents, soaps etc get into the waste.  Then you also tend to have pharmaceutical waste (say you flush your spare meds down the toilet) which are low concentration, but can have a huge effect on the ecosystem and is very, very, difficult to clean.

Traditional technology (Aerobic digestion essentially) can handle a good chunk of the organics.  It struggles with the nitrates and phosphates.  Most of the BWSSB plant technology does not have the capability to address this component.  But if there are industrial effluents with heavy metals and petroleum components - oil, grease etc., a traditional STP cannot do much with that.

It would be very illuminating to understand what sort of wastes BWSSB accepts from industries.  How do they know what they get is what they are told it will be?