After Deccan Chronicle published a story about the dangerously open water tank on BDA 80 Feet Road, off Bannerghatta Road, BWSSB officials inspected the spot on Thursday and made a few phone calls, but nothing more. Though the ‘water tank’ still remains open, BWSSB officials owned responsibility for it, unlike on Wednesday when they said they did not know how the sump came into being.
The inspection on Thursday morning revealed that the sump was actually a valve chamber to operate valves on the water pipeline. “Due to leakage in the valve, the valve chamber is filled with water,” said Mr Venkatashiva Reddy, AEE (South-3), BWSSB, who is in charge of water supply in the area.
Mr Reddy admitted that the water filling the valve chamber is drinking water supplied by the BWSSB. He, however, did not answer when asked why the valve chamber was left open. He said it would be closed “very soon” but refused to commit to a deadline. BWSSB’s chief engineer, T. Venkataraju, was more forthcoming. He told Deccan Chronicle, “Give me the spot details and I will check with the local officials why the valve chamber is left open and why drinking water is being allowed to be used illegally and dangerously. I can commit to an action as soon as I have the details from local officials.”
The scene at the spot on Thursday was similar to that on Wednesday. There were children playing around the open chamber filled with water, there were clothes and vehicles being washed with drinking water and residents of the area were illegally filling pots and buckets with the water.