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Water Supply

Water supply, usage to be curbed in city

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The Hindu         07.04.2017 

Water supply, usage to be curbed in city

Pumping of water to be reduced by half between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

City residents would be facing a major shortage of water with the government stepping in to impose serious curbs on water supply so that the available water can be stretched over the summer months.

The acute shortage of water in Peppara dam has forced the government to take immediate steps to impose at least 25% restriction in the usage of water, Water Resources Minister Mathew T. Thomas announced here on Thursday.

Pumping of water will be reduced by half between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. At night, water distribution to low-lying areas will be controlled using valves so that more water can reach areas uphill.

No new water connections will be given till the next monsoon. All non-domestic consumers of water with over two lakh litres monthly consumption will be asked to reduce their usage by half, Mr. Thomas said

He said that the available water at Peppara dam will suffice only till May 18. Water usage has to be brought down by at least 25% if the available water is to be stretched over May 25.

Monitoring squads

A permanent team of the Kerala Water Authority is being put in place for controlling the valves in each section. Five squads of KWA for monitoring and preventing water theft and misuse of water is also being set up at the sub-division level.

Directions are being given to all heads of government institutions and department heads to ensure that the water valves on their premises are kept closed after office hours and on holidays so that there is no loss of water due to leakage.

Treated and purified water will not be allowed to be used for construction or non-drinking purposes. For non-domestic usage, recycled water from Muttathara sewage plant can be made available free of cost, Mr. Thomas said.

A help desk and control room is being set up to address consumer issues. A toll-free number, 1800 4255 313, has been set up which the consumers can call to redress any complaints regarding water supply, pipe bursts or water leakage . The public should understand the current situation of water shortage and cooperate with the authorities by restricting their water usage, Mr. Thomas said.

Meanwhile, the government is also contemplating a major project to ensure 24-hour water supply in all Corporations in the State. A second round of discussions with Asian Development Bank is being planned in this regard next week. Under the project, Neyyar river has been identified as the major source for meeting the water requirements of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation

Central team visit

With the Centre declaring eight States as drought-hit, a Central team will be visiting the State from April 18, he added.

 

Visakhapatnam to get 10 MGD water from Yeleru

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The New Indian Express        07.04.2017 

Visakhapatnam to get 10 MGD water from Yeleru

VISAKHAPATNAM: In what could be a boost to the water supply to the city this summer, Visakhapatnam would get at least 10 MGD (million gallons per day) more water from the Yeleru canal as the reservoir has been reopened after desiltation.

Announcing this here on Thursday, GVMC commissioner M Hari Narayanan said the city, at present, gets 60 MGD of water and with the repair works that was carried out for a month, the Yeleru canal would provide 10 MGD more, taking the water supply to the city to 70 MGD.

The commissioner said that the arresting leakages from structures on Sarpa and Varaha rivers has resulted in this improvement.

“Since last month, the repair works of bore-wells, water taps and others has been undertaken to ensure that there is no problem pertaining to water supply this summer,”Hari Narayanan said.  

Speaking about the redress of the grievances pertaining to water supply, he said that citizens could contact the zonal commissioner or water supply officials of their area. “As many as 170 additional water tanker will make trips to supply water to the inaccessible areas,” he said, adding that water levels at major reservoir sources are fine.

Hari Narayanan also said 200 water kiosks will be set up, including the 65 by the NGOs, at all the busy junctions of the city.

“Green shades will come up at 40 junctions in the city. ORS packets will also be made available at the kiosks. Awareness campaigns will be conducted on the precautions to be taken to prevent heat strokes,” he said and  appealed the public to adopt water saving measures.

Rebate on property tax

The GVMC Commissioner also said that the civic body was offering 5 per cent rebate on property tax to its citizens, who pay the entire tax for the year before April 31.

”The GVMC is yet to realise 40 per cent water taxes from the 2016-17 financial year. I request the citizens to cooperate with the corporation,” the civic chief added.
 

Change in water supply schedule from today

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The Hindu        27.03.2017 

Change in water supply schedule from today

The water level at AMR Power Ltd.’s dam at Shamboor upstream Thumbe stood at 5.35 m on Sunday against the maximum storage level of 6.25 m.FILE PHOTO  

Now, round-the-clock water supply for 72 hours

After supplying water once in every 36 hours in the city for a week, Mangaluru City Corporation has announced a change in the schedule from Monday.

Starting from March 27, the city will get water supply round-the-clock for three days (for 72 hours) and then, it will go without water for two days (48 hours). The same schedule would be repeated week on week.

This step, Mayor Kavita Sanil said, is to ensure that water reached areas located uphill in the city.

She said that the corporation received complaints that some houses in the upper reaches in wards such as Falnir and Kankanady-Valencia did not get water after the 36-hour supply schedule was adopted.

The Mayor said that she was appealing to the people to reduce water consumption for the next two months. She has been receiving complaints that in many areas people were wasting fresh water by spraying it on the roads to suppress dust.

There was a specific complaint that a house owner in Kankanady ward was letting water supplied by the corporation into the domestic well.

The water supply officials went to the house and warned the owner.

The Mayor said that toilet flush consumed more water. In the apartment she was living in Bejai, she convinced the owners of 22 flats and ensured that they adjusted the flush to let out less water. Thus, the apartment has reduced its water consumption to a great extent. Flat owners and resident associations of apartments should consider it seriously to save water.

Meanwhile, according to a water supply engineer, the water level at the Thumbe vented dam supplying water to the city stood at 4.90 m on Sunday against the maximum storage capacity of 5 m. The water level at the vented dam of AMR Power Pvt. Ltd. at Shambhoor on the upstream of Thumbe stood at 5.35 m against the maximum storage level of 6.25 m.

The corporation stopped daily water supply on March 20.

 


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