The Hindu         05.04.2017

Metrowater plans digital meters in commercial buildings

Going hi-tech:The meters, which are equipped with GPS technology, will be able to detect leaks.
 

Move aimed towards ensuring judicious use of water

Nearly eight years after an attempt was made to introduce water
metering system in the city, Chennai Metrowater proposes to revive the
plan by fixing water meters in commercial buildings.

As a first
step towards ensuring judicious use of water in the burgeoning city,
Metrowater proposes to fix digital water meters in 33,000 commercial
buildings in the first phase. The process is already on to identify the
buildings, including educational institutions and hospitals, that have
water-intensive connections.

Eight lakh consumers

At
present, there are nearly eight lakh consumers, including those in added
areas and a minimum of 10,000 water/sewer connections are added to the
network every year. Though the new consumers are directed to have only
metered connections, the water agency often does not collect water
charges according to the tariff owing to intermittent water supply.

Learning
from its past experiences when the mechanical water meters installed
proved faulty and the system could not be implemented completely, the
water agency now plans to fix digital meters equipped with GPS
technology and facilities to detect leaks and accurate reading.

It
may be recalled that there was a resistance from residents to install
water meters in the past years, owing to faulty meters and
non-availability of quality meters

According to sources in the
Metrowater, the water agency would install the water meters and recover
the cost later from the consumers. This initiative would also help in
accounting of water consumption pattern of domestic and commercial
customers and improve distribution.

The metering system would be
extended to multi-storeyed buildings based on the outcome of the
project. “We have not yet taken a decision on the tariff revision. This
would be an initial step towards encouraging water conservation and also
checking the supply and consumption trends in the city,” an official
said .

The water agency is preparing estimates
for the project and plans to implement the project in six months. The
metering system would be extended to all existing buildings in phased
manner to improve revenue and ensure equitable water distribution.