Bengaluru's tap aerators cut water use by thousands of litres daily, says BWSSB: Report

In Bengaluru, a simple tap aerator is transforming water conservation efforts, saving 100 million litres of water per day.

A simple, low-cost device is quietly making a big splash in Bengaluru’s fight to save water: tap aerators. These tiny fittings, attached to taps, are now helping schools, apartments, offices, and malls cut water usage by thousands of litres every single day.

Mandatory installations of tap aerators in Bengaluru are helping save millions of litres daily, as schools and businesses embrace this low-cost solution.

After the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) made aerators mandatory for bulk users last year, the city has seen a sharp rise in installations, said a report by The Times of India. Over 15 lakh aerators have been fitted across Bengaluru so far. Those who don’t comply, including apartment complexes and commercial buildings, face fines of ₹5,000 and even reduced water supply.

Authorities have saved close to 100 million litres of water per day since the large-scale adoption, said BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar, as per the report. In 2024-25 alone, BWSSB booked 594 violations and collected nearly ₹30 lakh in penalties, the report stated.

Aerators are mostly added to handwash taps, which account for about 30 per cent of household water use. These devices reduce water flow from 10 to 15 litres per minute to just 3 to 4 litres, cutting wastage by 50 per cent to even 80 per cent in some cases.

The Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF), one of the earliest promoters of aerators, has been a key partner in this effort, said the report. They began advocating for aerators in 2017 with live demos. One of them helped convince BWSSB to make it mandatory, said BAF General Secretary K Arun Kumar.

Meanwhile, school students are also joining the cause. After a demo by water conservationist Madhavan Rao, kids at MES Kishora Kendra installed aerators and began saving 10,000 litres a day, the report added. Now, through his #MissionSchools10MLD initiative, Rao plans to take this model to 1,000 schools, aiming to save 10 million litres daily.