BWSSB traced the contamination to a damaged house service connection near Davis Road after extensive pipeline inspections using robotic technology.
BENGALURU
Residents of at least four apartment complexes on Hall Road in Richards Town have stopped using Cauvery water for nearly three weeks after foul-smelling and discoloured water raised fears of contamination, forcing families to depend on borewell water for daily use and purchase drinking water from private suppliers.
The problem first surfaced after an elderly resident reportedly fell ill. Around the same time, several households began noticing an unusual odour in the water supply, followed by visible changes in its colour. Alarmed by the situation, apartment associations disconnected the Cauvery water supply from their storage tanks and undertook emergency cleaning to prevent contamination from spreading.
“We’ve been getting Cauvery water here for more than 20 years without any major issue. Suddenly, the water started smelling bad and changing colour. When I went to take a bath, I noticed the smell and even my child pointed it out. Many others here were facing the same problem,” said Nazim Noor, a resident.
Residents said each apartment association spent between ₹12,000 and ₹13,000 to clean overhead and underground water tanks. Since then, borewell water has been used for washing and other non-potable purposes, while drinking water has been sourced separately.
“There are many senior citizens living in these apartments. We did not want to take any risks,” Noor added.
According to residents, complaints were lodged with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) nearly two weeks ago. However, despite repeated inspections and representations by around 10 apartment associations, officials initially failed to identify the source of contamination.
“We kept asking BWSSB to check where the contamination was happening, but for days there was no clear answer. Only now has the source been identified,” another resident said.
Following extensive inspections, BWSSB officials traced the problem to a damaged house service connection near Davis Road. According to officials, sewage had entered the Cauvery water pipeline through the damaged connection, contaminating the water supplied to nearby apartment complexes.
The leak was eventually detected using BWSSB’s robotic pipeline inspection technology, enabling engineers to pinpoint the exact location of the fault.
Repair work underway
BWSSB officials said nearly 200 metres of the underground pipeline network had to be inspected before locating the damaged section. The defective cast-iron house service connection is now being replaced with a new 100-mm ductile iron (DI) pipeline. Officials said the replacement work, flushing of pipelines, water quality testing and restoration of normal Cauvery water supply are expected to take about a week. Until then, affected residents have been advised to avoid using the piped supply for drinking purposes.
