With the city experiencing a severe water crisis this summer, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plan to construct close to 2,750 percolation (recharge) pits to increase the groundwater level by the end of 2024.
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In May this year, the BWSSB dug close to 986 percolation pits across Bengaluru. BWSSB Chairman V. Ram Prasath Manohar said that it is too early to check the impact of the pits on groundwater levels. “We must wait till after the monsoon to check if the percolation pits have helped recharge groundwater levels. We will study the nearby pits and borewells, and have a better understanding soon,” he said. “We will be constructing 1,000 more pits in the coming days near hospitals and education institutions.“
Mr. Manohar said that construction of the next 1,000 percolation pits will cost anywhere between ₹ 15,000 – ₹30,000 per pit. The work will be completed by the end of July.
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A couple of weeks ago the BWSSB had advised government and private agencies to dig percolation pits in their premises. However, there seems to be not much response to the board’s advice. “We are in talks with all government and private agencies like BMTC, KSRTC, BMRCL and others regarding the construction of percolation pits in their offices. We can only advocate for implementation, but it is up to the department heads to take it forward. So far, only the BMRCL has decided to take it up and call for tenders. Eventually everyone will fall in line”, said Mr Manohar.
BBMP has dug 500 percolation pits in parks, to dig 250 more by December
In January, the BBMP announced that 1,000 percolation pits would be dug in 115 parks to increase ground water levels. However, not more than 500 pits were dug.
Chandrashekhar M.R., Deputy Director (Horticulture), BBMP, said, “We had announced that 1,000 pits would be dug through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds offered by an organisation. However, the organisation informed that it could not fund us for more than 500 pits, which is why we had to stop the project.”
Despite the organisation backing out, the BBMP plans to take up the project through its own funds,
“We have decided to dig 250 more percolation pits at parks across Bengaluru. Each pit will cost ₹40,000. Some pits will be constructed to increase the ground water levels, and others will be built around existing borewells to recharge them,“ said Mr Chandrashekhar and added that the pits will be ready by December this year.