K'taka's Rs 214 cr water projects fail: Over 30 schemes defunct due to poor planning, maintenance
Bengaluru: At least 32 multi-village water supply schemes across Karnataka, intended to serve over five lakh people, have become dysfunctional, even after Rs 214 crore of taxpayer money was spent.
The failure has been attributed to poor planning, lack of upkeep, open defecation near water sources, and inadequate post-project support, according to a government study cited by Deccan Herald on Thursday.
The study analysed projects implemented between 2000 and 2016 across 13 districts: Bagalkot, Ballari, Belagavi, Bidar, Davangere, Dharwad, Gadag, Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Raichur, Tumakuru, Vijayanagar, and Yadgir.
The defunct schemes are part of a broader set of 437 multi-village drinking water projects implemented across the state at a total cost of Rs 8,456 crore. Of these, 45 schemes, including the 32 examined in the study, have failed to deliver water to the intended beneficiaries.
Despite some schemes being based on "perennial" water sources, including major rivers like Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Bhima, Krishna, Manjira, Tungabhadra, and Kabini, the projects failed due to factors such as infrastructure damage during road works, mechanical farming activities, floods, and theft of critical assets. Reasons for the failure of other schemes whose water sources were non-perennial are largely similar.
The study also identified institutional failures. In several cases, schemes were abruptly handed over to gram panchayats without the necessary funds for operation and maintenance (O&M). Technical design flaws, inadequate financial planning, and lack of community engagement further contributed to the breakdown of services.
“These reasons bring home the message that it is not sufficient to have a perennial source but a host of other measures are required for the successful operation and maintenance of rural water supply schemes,” the study said.
It also criticised the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department (RDWSD) for focusing narrowly on infrastructure, while neglecting social, institutional, financial, and governance aspects.
Open defecation along riverbanks has led to widespread public distrust in water quality, the report found. Additionally, there is competition between farmer groups drawing water for irrigation and RDWSD efforts to secure supply for domestic use—particularly in river-based schemes.
The study warned that the state government must learn from these failures, especially as it spending another Rs 18,897 crore on 89 new multi-village water supply schemes.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
