VIJAYAPURA: Residents of Vijayapura need not worry about paying water bills this rainy season. With drinking water still remaining a major concern, the Water Board and Vijayapura City Corporation (VCC) will supply water free of cost till they can resume regular supply.
The city is facing severe drinking water crisis this summer which is likely to continue this monsoon too. Every day, the board gets 66 million litres of water from Almatti dam against the requirement of 74 MLD. Another source was Bhutnal lake from where the authorities used to draw 8 MLD water daily, which has gone completely dry now.
As of now, 66 MLD water is available for supply to city residents. Hence, the authorities are supplying water once a fortnight to a majority of the layouts. A few zones that have 24/7 drinking water connection under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Yojana are also getting supply twice a week.
Meanwhile, a group of irked residents staged a protest against the authorities for collecting water bills even after failing to supply water regularly. The residents said in a few areas, the water bills are so high that people are unable to pay them. The residents then approached the local leaders and demanded that the agencies not collect water bills this season.
Responding to the complaints, Vijayapura City MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal directed the officials of VCC and Water Board not to collect water bills till the supply is back on track.
MLA Yatnal said, “Many people approached me and complained about the collection of water bills, even after supplying drinking water only twice a month. So, after convening a meeting with the officials and authorities, it was decided that water bills will not be collected until water is supplied at regular intervals.”
People call it a good move
Shivakumar Walikar (39), a resident of Teacher’s Colony, said, “We are getting water supply only once in two weeks, but the authorities are collecting water bills which is unfair. We shell out money from our own pockets and buy water from private agencies when our water tanks get empty in our homes. The decision taken by the authorities is a good one. It gives relief to people”.