BWSSB Implements Fines for Water Misuse to Tackle Bangalore’s Water Crisis
The Monsoon months in Karnataka are normally used to fill up the reservoirs and recharge its lakes, however, Karnataka’s monsoon for 2023 received an 18% decrease in annual rainfall which has led to a water shortage in Karnataka this year.
Most recently the BWSSB has imposed a total of Rs 1.1lakhs in fines against 22 individuals who have been seen caught wasting clean Cauvery water to wash their vehicles.
After being warned by authorities multiple times, individuals are still found misusing water across the city. This has led to the BWSSB imposing fines under Section 109, ranging between Rs 3000 to Rs 15,000, on individuals who found using clean Cauvery water to clean vehicles or water plants.
The BWSSB has also penalized individuals found using bore-well or tap water for wasteful reasons such as cleaning one car or bike and wetting one driveway to prevent dust from settling.
This decision to impose fines comes as a result of the BWSSB’s several failed attempts at educating and warning people of the shortage of water in the state and the common disregard of individuals towards the issue.
To encourage individuals to report or log the misuse of water from concerned citizens, the BWSSB has set up a toll-free (1916) helpline allowing individuals to report any wasteful use of water.
The Southern Zone of Bangalore has accounted for the highest number of recorded violations with over Rs 80,000 being collected from the one zone itself.
DriveSpark Thinks
Water Shortage in a state is something that affects everyone that lives within that state and hence, it takes the collective awareness on consistent effort to safe water that will help to better the situation. The saying “every drop counts” holds more meaning now than ever before.
