BENGALURU, 14 MARCH

Bengaluru residents living in apartment complexes are questioning the government move to make Cauvery water connections mandatory at their buildings.

In January 2025, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directed the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to ensure that all apartment buildings within BBMP limits have Cauvery water connections.

This directive followed an Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and BWSSB study that warned of severe water shortage in 80 wards of the city due to groundwater depletion.

Even as BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasad supported Shivakumar’s view, the apartment dwellers are sceptical about their intentions.

The issues at hand are the State government’s insistence on making Cauvery water connections mandatory for apartments, reluctance of many apartment complexes to take these connections and justification of the infrastructure cost of the Cauvery Stage V project.

Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, convenor of the Karnataka Home Buyers Forum, welcomed the government’s initiative but said it unfairly burdens flat owners who do not have land ownership rights. He said securing water and electricity connections should be the builder’s responsibility.

“The government should not issue occupancy certificates unless these essential services are in place. Without land transfer, apartment associations have no legal standing to apply for connections under Section 17 of RERA. Instead of holding builders accountable, the authorities are shifting the burden onto flat owners,” he said.

Assistant Engineer (Mahadevapura) Mirza Anwar at the BWSSB said. "The BWSSB doesn't require ownership documents of apartment complexes (for water connections). It's similar to obtaining a BESCOM connection. We go by the property, and ownership isn't a concern. I understand there is a small hustle between the builder and apartment associations. We are intervening to resolve it," he said.

Vani Kishore, a city resident, raised similar concerns about the lack of transparency in the process. “We haven’t applied for a connection because the process is unclear. Since common areas in apartments are under the builder’s name, it is their responsibility to ensure we receive the water connection,” she said.

Bribery and Hidden Costs

According to BWSSB data, 2,643 apartments applied for Cauvery water connections during the November 2024 campaign, and 1,252 are yet to do so.

A resident from Kanakapura alleged corruption in the process and accused middlemen of charging residents lakhs of rupees to lay the water pipelines.  “We paid a hefty amount to the government for the Cauvery connection and even received the meter. But for installation, which involves road cutting, more money – Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh – is being demanded. Despite having all permissions, we still have to pay a dozen middlemen to get the work done. The costs are excessive, forcing us to rely on water tankers,” she claimed.

CAUVERY STAGE V COST

The Rs 5,500 crore Cauvery Stage V project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to supply 770 million litres per day per day (MLD) to 50 lakh people. However, experts question the transparency of the project’s pricing.

Water conservation expert S Vishwanath criticised the lack of clarity in connection charges. “Citizens deserve transparency. The claim that borewell water is unfit for consumption is debatable, as most apartments have their own borewells. Forcing apartments to take Cauvery connections without convincing the rationale is unjustified,” he said.

 Meanwhile, BWSSB Assistant Executive Engineer (Mahadevapura) Mirza Anwar justified the rationale behind the high tariffs for Cauvery water connections. "We charge high tariffs to maintain our working capital. The BWSSB sources water from 150km away and has made significant capital investments for this. The current tariff is Rs 400 per square foot of built-up area. Though an entry fee is charged, BWSSB connection charges are Rs 22 per kilolitre and tanker charges are Rs 150. If the apartment does a financial analysis, the return on investment will fall between 4–6 years, and this is permanent."