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Water Supply

Water rationing in city to continue till summer

Tuesday, 22 December 2009 09:20 administrator
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The Times of India 22.12.2009

Water rationing in city to continue till summer

TNN 22 December 2009, 04:54am IST

JAIPUR: The water rationing will continue till summer. The reduced water supply in the city was planned earlier by the government so as to make water available during peak summer.

Contrary to public perception about water crisis, the PHED said during winter, the per capita daily demand in the city is being met regularly. Devraj Solanki, city circle engineer, PHED, claimed, “During winter, the demand is 120 litre per capita (LPC) daily and we have been almost supplying that amount where as in Summer, it rises to 155 LPC daily. To ensure water supply in summer, we are getting ready from the beginning of the year.”

Chief engineer (city), PHED, M K M Joshi hoped that with normal monsoon next year, water supply would be normal. “We had planned to increase frequency as well as quantity with water from Bisalpur project. If we get maximum recharge of the Bisalpur dam this year, then we can phase out use of underground water and keep it for emergency use,” Joshi said.

Meanwhile, residents from some parts of the city continued complaining about water supply as many said they hardly get a few minutes of supply during the day and they have to depend on private tankers.
Manohar Sharma from Malviya Nagar, Sector 2, said on Saturday, we hardly had a supply for half an hour.
Walled City areas like Transport Nagar and Laxmi Narayanpuri had a better supply on Saturday.

According to a PHED engineer, the supply duration has been enhanced by 20 minutes and it would be go up to 30 minutes later. “We had comparatively a better supply,” affirmed Krishna Mohan a government employee from Laxmi Narayanpuri.
 

Water Board to regularise illegal connections

Tuesday, 22 December 2009 02:26 administrator
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The Hindu 22.12.2009

Water Board to regularise illegal connections

J.S. Ifthekhar

Move aimed at arresting the leakage of revenue and also streamlining the system

 

Modalities of scheme to be announced in January

Voluntary disclosure scheme only for two months

Hyderabad: Water consumers have something good to look forward to in the New Year. If they have illegal connections, they can get them regularised. The Hyderabad Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has decided to legalise all such connections to arrest the leakage of revenue and also streamline the system.

Modalities of the scheme are being worked out and it will be announced next month after the Board gives its formal approval. The voluntary disclosure scheme will be for a limited period of two months. Those availing of it have to pay the connection charges and probably water charges for one or two years.

Guidelines soon

“We are in the process of finalising the guidelines,” said K. Ashok Reddy, Executive Director, HMWSSB. The illegal connections are estimated to be more than a lakh - both in the core city area and surrounding municipalities. But the number of such connections is stated to be more in the outskirts.

They are acquired by residents over a period of time in connivance with the Board staff. Especially, when cement roads are being laid, the locals strike a deal with the Board’s lower rung staff and manage to get illegal connections, it is said.

The Board is currently supplying 330 mgd of water, including 100 mgd to the 13 municipalities. On record there are six lakh connections all over the city. Of this, the surrounding municipalities of Rajendernagar, Kapra, Malkajgiri, Alwal, Uppal, Ramchandrapuram, Patancheru, Serlingampally, Qutbullapur, Kukatpally, L.B. Nagar and Gaddinnaram account for 2,77,785 connections.

While the unscrupulous Board employees who provide the illegal connections are collecting the monthly charges and pocketing it, the Board is not getting a single paisa. “By regularising such connections we will not only plug the revenue leakage but also set right the system”, said Mr. Reddy.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 December 2009 02:28
 

Civic body seeks state help to end water woes

Monday, 21 December 2009 05:51 administrator
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The Times of India 31.12.2009

Civic body seeks state help to end water woes

Yogesh Naik, TNN 21 December 2009, 02:16am IST
MUMBAI: The BMC will soon ask the state government for additional water from the state irrigation department, which owns the Upper Vaitarna dam in Igatpuri and Bhatsa in Shahapur. Irrigation department officials said they can spare up to an additional 175 million litres a day (mld) from Upper Vaitarna and some quantity from the Bhatsa.

Civic commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya said he will soon approach the state for more water from Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa dams.

The city gets water from BMC-owned Tulsi, Vehar, Modaksagar and Tansa lakes and the state-owned Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa.

Soon after the rains played truant, the BMC announced a 15 per cent water cut with 30 per cent reduction in supply timings. But the cut is not equitable and the civic body is facing large scale criticism.

Balasaheb Patil, chief engineer (Konkan) of the irrigation department said, "We can give an additional 175 mld of water from Upper Vaitarna lake. At present, the state government-owned Upper Vaitarna gives 610 mld to Mumbai. The BMC had sent an officer to our department to assess how much additional water can be drawn from Upper Vaitarna, but did not come for a follow-up.''

Bhatsa, which is the largest supplier of water to Mumbai, gives around 2020 mld to Mumbai and 200 mld to Thane. Another 200 mld is reserved for irrigating farmlands. Patil said the entire quota of water for farming is never used as canals are yet to be completed. "Besides, our priority is to give water for drinking purposes. If the BMC makes a demand for additional stock, the committee of ministers for water distribution can take a decision. But the exact quantity of additional water from Bhatsa can be decided only after computation.''

According to sources in the BMC's water works department, the supply of water is inequitable. "At present, only 25% of Mumbaikars are suffering, while the rest do not face much trouble in water supply,'' an official said.

A resident of Pantnagar in Ghatkopar said, "The supply to Mhada buildings has been hit badly while localities like Garodia Nagar, `60-Feet' and `90-Feet' roads are better off. Apart from getting more water for Mumbai, the civic body's water works department must provide equitable supply of water.''
 
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