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Bangalore to get treated wastewater

keeping in mind Bangalore's growing water demand, the city's water supply and sewerage board is working on a plan to treat waste water and supply it. "The plan is under design and expected to be operational by 2011. We will call for expression of interest and solicit public opinion soon. The city is growing fast. Unless we provide water it won't be an attractive destination for industry.

The present sources of water aren't enough and since we are not near the coast, desalination is not an option,' Latha Krishna Rao, chairperson of the board, told Down To Earth.

The Rs 473 crore project has been approved under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

The current water demand for Bangalore's 7.5 million population is 1,219 million litres a day (mld). The available supply is 840 mld. G Vasudevan, the project's chief engineer says the project is the only technological solution.

"Water is available only from the Cauvery river and local catchments. It is projected that the supply we get will be exhausted by 2011 and consequently, the gap between demand and availability will widen,' says Vasudevan.

Hence, board officials decided to make use of the 900 mld of wastewater that flows away without re-use. Under the project, wastewater will be treated at the primary level.

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