The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is an autonomous body and statutory corporation responsible for water supply and sewage disposal in the Bengaluru Metropolitan area. It was constituted under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1964 (Karnataka Act 36 of 1964), which received the President's assent on August 27, 1964, and the Board was formed on September 10, 1964. The Act was created to consolidate the administration of water supply and drainage, a move desired by the World Bank, which was financing the Water Supply Scheme, to entrust the functions to an independent body.
The Act establishes the Board's Constitution and composition (Section 3) and outlines its General duties (Section 15), which include the vesting of works in the Board (Section 26) and control over house connections (Section 30). The BWSSB's jurisdiction covers the entire Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Area.
The Board is connected to the legal concept of "industry" through the landmark Supreme Court judgment, Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board v. R. Rajappa (1978). The seven-judge bench in this case established the expansive "triple test" for defining an "industry" under Section 2(j) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, ruling that any systematic activity involving employer-employee cooperation for the production or distribution of goods or services, regardless of profit motive, qualifies as an industry.
The BWSSB Act has been amended to include mandates like compulsory rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems for new buildings above 2,400 square feet. More recently, in July 2026, the BWSSB issued orders citing Sections 33 and 34 of the Act to ban the use of potable water for non-essential purposes and mandated the installation of flow restrictors or aerators by July 31, 2026, with violations attracting a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 109. The core structure of the BWSSB as a statutory body remains, but its regulatory powers are actively used to manage water scarcity.