Bengaluru folk to get SMS alerts on water timings

BENGALURU: From the empty pot syndrome to SMS alerts on water supply timetable, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has come a long way. Citizens with BWSSB water connections will get alerts on the time of day and duration for which water will be supplied to their locality. Anjum Parvez, chairman, BWSSB, said the aim of the project is to keep consumers updated about the water supply cycle, so they needn't wait through the night or day. "The move is also aimed at reducing water wastage as residents store extra water and waste it later, in the absence of proper information, as is happening now," he added. The BWSSB chief was at a conference on Smart Water Management for Cities, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Wednesday. The board has already implemented the project on a pilot basis in selected sub-divisions in core Bengaluru and areas like Bandappa Gardens, Bhoopasandra ward and RT Nagar, where the project was initially started. "The response has been good. People are also informed about interruptions in water supply, if any, through this system. The project will cover all BWSSB customers, including those in newly added areas, from the upcoming financial year," said a senior BWSSB official. CALL CENTRE KEEPS TABS BWSSB valve men from different areas are provided with smart phones through which they send details of water supply, leakages, delay etc., to the call centre maintained by the Board. This is recorded by the Interactive Voice Response System and passed on to consumers, whose database is ready in advance. Consumers facing any unnecessary delays in water supply can also give a missed call to the call centre, and in return, the staff will call them to redress their grievances. The estimated project cost to extend the service to the entire city is more than Rs 1 crore. -TOI