Legal hurdles delay Cauvery Stage V Project

Despite the implementation of the Cauvery Stage V project over a year ago, residents of 110 villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru are yet to receive complete water supply and underground drainage facilities. Legal disputes and ongoing infrastructure works have significantly delayed the delivery of full services, leaving many areas dependent on temporary arrangements. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) implemented the Rs 5,550-crore Cauvery Stage V project in October 2024 to supply 775 million litres per day (MLD) of Cauvery water to 110 villages. Water is drawn from Thorekadanahalli (TK Halli) in Mandya district, located nearly 100 km from Bengaluru.

However, key components of the project, including sewerage networks, sewage treatment plants (STPs), and last-mile water distribution, remain incomplete.

Under the project, BWSSB planned lateral underground drainage networks for all 110 villages. While sewerage works have been completed in 101 villages, tenders were floated in September for the remaining newly added villages. BWSSB officials stated that full-scale sewerage services will be operational only after the completion of both Stage V works and projects undertaken under the World Bank–assisted Karnataka Water Security and Disaster Resilience Programme.

Water supply to several areas has also been affected by road-widening and elevated corridor construction works. The ongoing expansion of the road from Varthur New Bridge to Varthur Police Station from 60 feet to 100 feet by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), along with elevated road construction, has disrupted water supply to villages such as Sorahunase, Varthur, Gunjur, Balagere, and parts of Panathur in the Mahadevapura zone.

In the Byatarayanapura zone, legal disputes over land required for the construction of a ground-level reservoir (GLR) and water storage facilities in Chokkanahalli have delayed water supply to Srinivaspura, Kattigenahalli, Tirumenahalli, and parts of Chokkanahalli, BWSSB officials said.

BWSSB is also constructing 14 sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of 124 MLD across the 110 villages. While some STPs are in advanced stages of implementation, the remaining plants are expected to become operational by March and June. In the absence of fully functional STPs, residents and apartment complexes continue to rely on soak pits and septic tanks for wastewater management.

Notably, the construction of a 25 MLD STP in Varthur has been stalled due to a legal case pending before the Supreme Court, preventing BWSSB from initiating work at the site.

Officials acknowledged that unless legal hurdles are resolved swiftly, the Cauvery Stage V project may continue to fall short of its goal of providing comprehensive water and sewerage infrastructure to the newly added villages, prolonging inconvenience to thousands of residents on Bengaluru’s periphery.