Karnataka expands BWSSB mandate to entire Bengaluru Urban district beyond GBA limits

The State Government has brought the entire Bengaluru Urban district under the jurisdiction of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), as it looks to plan drinking water and sewage infrastructure for areas expected to see rapid urbanisation outside the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits.

Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said urban growth had already crossed the GBA limits, with a significant portion of new development taking place in municipalities and gram panchayats surrounding the GBA.

“Though these areas are outside GBA limits, for all practical purposes they are extended parts of Bengaluru. Present and future growth will increasingly concentrate in these areas, including residential and economic investments,” Gowda said.


The government has taken a proactive approach to infrastructure planning instead of waiting for urbanisation to outpace infrastructure, he said. Over the past 25 years, authorities have struggled to provide urban infrastructure after development had already taken place, Gowda said.

Following a recent meeting involving the BWSSB, Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) and Minor Irrigation Department, the government has directed the agencies to prepare plans for basic urban infrastructure in areas outside the GBA.

The BWSSB has been asked to assess drinking water requirements for the next five and 10 years, as well as the longer term. The assessment will cover water storage, treatment plants and distribution networks.

A similar blueprint will be prepared for underground sewage systems, including phased development of sewerage networks and sewage treatment plants. A combined master plan will be prepared for the Bengaluru Urban district outside the GBA, with implementation to be phased in line with urban expansion, Gowda said.

Water security is expected to be a major challenge as the population of these areas grows. More than 90% of their current water requirements are met through groundwater, according to Gowda.

Continued dependence on groundwater is putting pressure on aquifers and contributing to declining water tables. Restoring groundwater levels is therefore a priority, with lakes playing an important role in groundwater recharge.

The Minor Irrigation Department has been instructed to prepare plans to use treated wastewater from Bengaluru to fill lakes around the GBA. The move is aimed at reviving dry lakes, improving groundwater recharge and reducing the risk of lake encroachment, besides supporting water reuse and ecological conservation.

“Government has started putting the necessary building blocks in place to provide urban infrastructure in areas outside GBA. Some of the problems being faced inside GBA are because urban infrastructure was not planned and provided at the right time. The current decisions will help prevent a repetition of some of these costly mistakes,” Gowda said.

Agencies have been directed to prepare detailed blueprints and submit them to the government for consideration.