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Round-the-clock water supply in pipeline

Staff Reporter

‘Water audit’ initiative in a small area of capital city planned from next month

BHUBANESWAR: In a major step towards ensuring judicious use of water, the Public Health Department (PHD) is embarking on a ‘water audit’ initiative in a small area comprising 104 households in the capital city from next month.

This exercise is a part of the department’s effort to make water available to consumers of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) round-the-clock. “We will be installing meters on both entry and exit points of water supply channels to gauge the consumption pattern of the 104 households. This will give us a fair idea about the water use and wastage from the small habitation inside the Sahid Nagar area,” Manoj R. Nanda, an executive engineer with the PHD, said here on Thursday.

Approximately 60 per cent of the city, which has about eight-lakh population, has been covered with the pipe water supply. While as per the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) norms, present water requirement of the city is 120 million litres per day (MLD), the PHD is, however, supplying 212 MLD. Thus, the estimated level of supply is 265 litres per consumer per day (LPCD) against the prescribed 135 LPCD.

Mr. Nanda said it would be a win-win situation for both the service provider as well as consumers. “There is a great myth that water would be required more if 24X7 water supply system is put in place. But studies say the system would rather help us rein in water requirement, power consumption and operational cost,” the executive engineer said.

Mr. Nanda elaborated that in 24-hour water supply, consumers would also save power as well as other coping expenditure such as installation of water tank, transportation and repair.

The pilot project is being undertaken in collaboration with Special Assistance for Project Implementation (SAPI) from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation and PHEO.

The major challenge before the PHD is to bring down water wastage on account of leakage from approximately 40 per cent at present to below 15 per cent.

Besides infrastructure improvement in the distribution network, the 24x7 water supply project envisaged installation of meters to all water supply house connections and enforcement of discipline on connection and payment. “Under the programme, metered water connections would be introduced on pilot basis. It would be later expanded to all municipal areas,” Tadao Funamoto PE of Japan-based NJS Consultants Co. said here.

According to the consultant group, the huge gap between operation and maintenance cost and revenue could be minimised.

At present, the PHD is collecting revenue to the tune of Rs. 10 crores per annum towards water cess on 53,000 water connections through its 830-km distribution network.

However, its operation and maintenance cost is Rs.25 crores.

It is estimated that about 330 MLD water will be required in the capital city by 2041.

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