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Referring to the pending issue of privatisation of water supply and distribution in the city, Mr Krishna said the Government was giving serious thought to the proposal.

The Chief Minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, inaugurating the first phase of the Cauvery IV stage water supply project at Kothanurdinne near Bangalore on Friday. The Union Minister for Urban Development, Mr Ananth Kumar, the Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in New Delhi, Mr Vataru Nishigaharu, and the Mayor of Bangalore, Mr K.Chandrasekhar, among others watch the ceremony.

BANGALORE, Sept. 20

THE Rs 1,072-crore potable water supply scheme for Bangalore and its neighbourhood was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, at the Kothanurdinne terminal reservoir, about 40 km from here, today.

The Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage 4 Phase 1 is one of the single largest water supply projects in the country and brings a supply of 270 mld (million litres per day) of water to northern and western areas of the city and seven local urban bodies nearby.

The JBIC-funded project was taken up in January 1997 by the Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board.

The sewage component is yet to be completed.

The water supply component, according to the board, has been completed at a cost of Rs 436 crore against an initial estimate of Rs 558 crore.

Referring to the pending issue of privatisation of water supply and distribution in the city, Mr Krishna said the Government was giving serious thought to the proposal.

The move would improve both water supply and accountability and limit the Government's role to that of a facilitator, he said.

The State Government is talking to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to enact law on rainwater harvesting.

As per the proposal, all buildings would have to make provision for it in the future.

"We must redouble our efforts at water conservation and harvesting as Karnataka is the second most dry land in the country," he said.

The Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Ananth Kumar, said the plan for a Ganga-Cauvery link project would be revived and financed through aid from the World Bank, JBIC or the ADB along with issue of bonds

Mr Vataru Nishigaharu, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi, said his Government had given Official Development Assistance of $1 billion to India last year.

According to BWSSB, 540 mld of the city's total consumption of 700 mld comes from Cauvery 1, 2 and 3 projects.

The water to the city is lifted in three stages from a height of 500 metres and distance of 98 km.

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