Date:26/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112650660300.htm

Karnataka - Gulbarga

KUWSDB will now maintain water supply, drainage system

T.V. Sivanandan

Gulbarga City Corporation’s work was not found satisfactory

KUWSDB is believed to have the manpower and expertise to handle both
Two corporation officials recently suspended for their failure to maintain cleanliness in the city

GULBARGA: Maintenance and overall responsibility of drinking water supply and underground drainage (UGD) system in Gulbarga city is likely to be handed over to the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB).

Meeting

A high-level meeting of senior officials of the district administration and the Gulbarga City Corporation held under the chairmanship of Regional Commissioner Rajneesh Goel two days ago is believed to have decided to recommend to the State Government to give the responsibility of maintenance of drinking water supply and UGD system to KUWSDB.

Presently, KUWSDB is entrusted with the responsibility of supplying drinking water from the Bhima to the filter station at Shor Gumbuz , and the city corporation supplies the filtered water to different storage points and later to different localities. Maintenance of the UGD is responsibility of the city corporation.

City corporation’s failure to handle the drinking water supply to the city and choked-up UGD lines in many localities have been the major reasons for the recommendation. KUWSDB is supposed to have the manpower as well as expertise to handle the maintenance of drinking water supply and the UGD lines.

Despite abundant drinking water supplied from Saradgi Barrage across the Bhima, the city is provided drinking water on alternate days and many areas, including the new layouts on the outskirts, are not provided piped water drinking water and are entirely dependent on borewells. There are many breakages in the links. Functioning of the city corporation, especially the maintenance of the UGD system had come for severe criticism from the Minister for Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar during his recent visit to the city. The Minister was forced to suspend two senior corporation officials — Health Officer and assistant executive engineer — for their failure to maintain cleanliness in the city.

Hardly 60 per cent of the sewage generated in the city finds its way to the oxidation plant on the outskirts of the city and the remaining toxic sewage is being let into rivulets and used by farmers for growing vegetables. KUWSDB has been entrusted with the responsibility of laying the main truck line to carry the entire sewage to oxidation plants.

There is also a proposal to construction an aerated lagoon to treat the sewage but the proposal is yet to get Government’s approval.