The Times of India 08.09.2010
Water reform plan goes for a toss
PUNE: Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) plan to rationalise the water supply system has gone for a toss with the civic standing committee rejecting the municipal commissioner's proposal to appoint a consultant to prepare a comprehensive overhaul plan for the city's water supply.
The standing committee of the PMC on Tuesday rejected the municipal commissioner's proposal and asked him to rework the plan to tap the possibility for a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) project plan.
"The municipal commissioner had placed a proposal before the standing committee. Only Tata consultants had submitted a proposal and had sought fees of Rs 37 crore for the same. All party members in decided that the proposal should be returned to the municipal commissioner and asked him to rework on the same," said standing committee chairman Arvind Shinde.
The civic administration's proposal to appoint a consultant for the 24x7 water supply plan has been mired in controversy after civic groups and some political leaders from various parties objected to the tender process.
The Environment Status Report (ESR) for 2009-10 states that the city's yearly requirement of water is 14 TMC. The irrigation department has earmarked 11 TMC for Pune, but it appears that 14 TMC of water has been lifted from the reservoirs of the four dams which provide water to the city.
According to Zagade, Pune uses excess water. His calculations are based on the city's population being 35 lakh and a 135-150 litre water per head per day consumption which put the total water consumption at about 7.8 TMC, while there is no clue about where the remaining water goes.
The ESR of 2008-09 had highlighted negligence towards ensuring an efficient water supply system for the city. "The old water supply lines are rusted and require repairs. The PMC lacks a system to control water supply. The city has faulty meters and absence of water supply data makes it difficult to calculate water usage," observed the report.
The ESR also categorically mentioned that the PMC has no maps of the old water pipeline network, and this makes it difficult to carry out repair works.
