Cauvery Fifth Stage project: Siddaramaiah seeks report in a week

Bengaluru: The Cauvery Fifth Stage project, which has been in limbo despite several revisions to the detailed project report (DPR), has now caught the special interest of CM Siddaramaiah.

During a review meeting of the project on Tuesday, the CM has given a week’s deadline to the BWSSB officials to submit a comprehensive report on the pros and cons of the project.

Although the newly-added 110 villages will get drinking water supplied through this project, the government said that the project may not become operational for at least another two years.

Addressing reporters, Mr Siddaramaiah  said, “The BWSSB needs time for funding the project and it may take at least another two years for the project to commence. The Board cannot supply water to the 110 villages till then.”

Throwing light on how the BWSSB will supply water to these villages, he said that the Board is implementing unaccounted-for water (UFW) project in all its divisions, and in South division it was already saving 33 MLD of water every day.

“The project has been implemented at a cost of Rs 174 crore in South and works were completed in three years. Similarly, in West and Central divisions, works are under progress at the cost of Rs 308 and Rs 154 crore. The overall cost of the project is Rs 650 crore,” Mr Siddaramaiah said.     

He said that works in two other divisions would be completed in four months and 120 MLD water would be saved. The BWSSB officials added that there was a demand for 180 MLD water in the newly-added zones.

Mr Siddaramaiah, who said that Rs 1,885 crore was needed to install pipelines for the project, stressed that so far the government had spent Rs 1,200 crore and the BWSSB Rs 300 crore.

Suggesting that the BWSSB officials hold a meeting with the Finance department, he directed them to submit a comprehensive report on the expenditure of the project within a week.