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Water Supply

No need for cloud-seeding now: Kunte

Tuesday, 04 September 2012 10:37 administrator
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The Indian Express    04.09.2012

No need for cloud-seeding now: Kunte

Heavy showers in the past 24 hours has prompted e Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Sitaram Kunte to admit that the civic body may not undertake cloud-seeding to induce rain in Mumbai's cachment areas.

“Despite a poor rainfall performance for a month and half into the monsoon season, the past one week has seen good rainfall. Thus we no longer have an urgency to carry out cloud-seeding,” said Kunte.

Following a healthy amount of rainfall last week, Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar had said that the civic body will assess the need for cloud-seeding after acquiring certain permissions from the Centre. On August 16, Kunte along with Mayor Sunil Prabhu announced that civic body would begin the operation – the cost of which had escalated to as much as 20 crores – with sorties starting from September 1.

Kunte emphasised that the BMC will continue with its long term plan to create a database of scientific research to aid any future need for cloud-seeding in the coming years. “We have seen that the rainfall in the city is unpredictable.In 2003 and 2009 as well, Mumbai had to consider cloud-seeding. With help from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and the Indian Meteorological Department we will continue to hold scientific research that will support any future operations if the need arises,” said Kunte.

Tansa lake, which along with Modak Sagar, Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna, is a major water supplier to the city, began overflowing on Monday afternoon as the water level reached the lake's limit of 128.63m. “At around 12 pm today, Tansa started overflowing. Tulsi lake needs to rise by only 1m to reach full capacity. Hopefully both Tulsi and Vihar will be filled soon,” said the Municipal Commissioner.

Tulsi and Vihar account for a small percentage of the city's water supply.However, lake levels of Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa which together account for over 70 per cent of the city's water supply, are still short of reaching full capacity. As of Monday morning, the levels here stood at 600.92m and 135.38m respectively. Total level of water collected in the cachment areas stands at 10,36025 million litres — short of approximately 2 lakh million litres — to suffice for the city’s annual need of at least 12 lakh million litres.

On August 8, water at the Modak Sagar dam started overflowing. Kunte said, “Middle Vaitarna Dam reached full capacity at the start of the month but because of the bridge we have been diverting this water towards Modak Sagar.”

Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 September 2012 10:38
 

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation launches amnesty scheme to help citizens clear water bill arrears

Tuesday, 04 September 2012 07:36 administrator
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The Times of India     04.09.2012

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation launches amnesty scheme to help citizens clear water bill arrears

PUNE: The water supply department of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has started an amnesty scheme to enable citizens to clear their water bill arrears with certain concessions.

Citizens who avail the amnesty scheme benefit will only have to pay the average annual bill for the outstanding period, with 12% interest and 20% fine amount.

Speaking to mediapersons on Monday, the municipal commissioner, Shrikar Pardeshi, said that the citizens will have to apply for the reduced bill arrears before November 30.

Pardeshi said citizens, who have not installed water meters and have received bills that are double or triple the average annual bill, will first have to install water meters at their own expense before November 30 and then apply for the amnesty scheme. The citizens have to install the PCMC-approved water meters only, which cost around Rs 1,700 per meter. They will also have to pay Rs 1,200 deposit to the civic body.

Citizens, who had earlier paid the fines due to non-payment of bills, can apply to the civic body under the amnesty scheme and get a reduction on the bill.

Pardeshi said if the citizens do not take the benefit of the amnesty scheme and do not install water meters, then their water connections will be discontinued. The civic body will lodge criminal complaints with the police if any unauthorized connection is detected later.

Citizens, who have complaints about faulty water meters, should either install new meters or get them repaired and apply for the amnesty scheme. The applicants will be given a monthly water bill for three months after installing the new meters. The bill for the earlier outstanding period will be as per the average of the three-month bill.

If the citizens who have complaints about water meters do not install new meters or repair them, the civic body will disconnect their water connections.

Similarly, if domestic consumers feel they are charged as per commercial rates even after completion of the residential building, they should produce documents such as completion certificate, or property tax bills.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 September 2012 07:38
 

'Irrigation dept wants Pune Municipal Corporation to pay Rs 910 cr for extra water'

Tuesday, 04 September 2012 07:30 administrator
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The Times of India      04.09.2012

'Irrigation dept wants Pune Municipal Corporation to pay Rs 910 cr for extra water'

PUNE: The state irrigation department has demanded Rs 910 crore as compensation, if the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) wants to draw 16 TMC water from the four dams that supply water to the city, said members of city-based NGO Sajag Nagrik Manch (SNM) on Monday.

"The irrigation department is asking the PMC to pay Rs 910 crore, since water reserved for irrigation and, ultimately, agriculture in the district will suffer. This is an injustice to citizens as Pune pays tax worth Rs 15,000 crore to the state government and it is the state's responsibility to provide drinking water," said Vivek Velankar and Vishwas Sahastrabuddhe of the SNM.

Producing written communication between the irrigation department and the PMC, Velankar said the irrigation department wants compensation for the extra water as well as for infrastructure works related to irrigation. "If we calculate the total financial expenses that would incur while meeting all the demands of irrigation, the PMC will have a burden of around Rs 910 crore," said Velankar.

The PMC and the irrigation department had signed a contract in 2004 that ended in 2010. In this contract, the PMC claimed 11.50 TMC water. A new contract is expected to be drawn up this year in which the PMC wants to get 16 TMC water for the city.

Irrigation department officials say the collective storage of dams providing water to the city is 29 TMC of which the PMC uses 14.5 TMC every year, while 1.5 TMC water goes to industries and towns, including Daund and Indapur. Around 2 TMC water is lost to vaporatisation annually and the remaining water is released for irrigation to Daund, Indapur and Haveli talukas of Pune district and some parts of Solapur in three phases every year, for kharif, rabi and summer crops.Irrigation officials were not available for comment.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 September 2012 07:31
 
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