Among 600 registered tankers, only 167 willing to work with government

Although 600 water tankers have registered with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), only 167 tanker owners have expressed willingness to work with the government to supply water.

The BBMP opened its website to register tankers on March 1 and the deadline is March 7. According to estimates, there are about 3,500 tankers, including oil tankers. The government has warned that

BWSSB has also started identifying irrigation and commercial borewells to meet the current need for drinking water

tankers that fail to register will be seized.

A senior BBMP official talking to The Hindu said so far, 167 tankers have expressed willingness to work with the government. The government is yet to fix the prices for the water. The officer said the BBMP and BWSSB are yet to negotiate prices with the the Water Tankers’ Association (WTA).

The officer further said the BWSSB has also started identifying irrigation and commercial borewells to meet the current need for drinking water. Once the borewells are taken over, the private tankers will be used to supply water.

Signature petition

The residents in Bengaluru have started a signature petition to demand that BBMP and BWSSB resolve the water crisis.

The residents have demanded the BWSSB mandate the industries to use treated water instead of borewell water. About 9,000 people have already signed the petition.

In the petition, citizens have also said that the BBMP has to find a longterm solution and Cauvery water should not be used by industries as it is for drinking purposes. The petition also listed several solutions for the water crisis, predicting that it will increase over the years.