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Water Supply

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation may defer cloud-seeding experiment

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 07:52 administrator
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The Times of India    28.08.2012

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation may defer cloud-seeding experiment

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to defer the cloud-seeding experiment, which was slated to be carried out from September 1, pending clearance from aviation regulator DGCA.

"The DGCA has sought reply on certain things like who will be responsible for the cloud seeding operations, how the civic body will go ahead with it ?..Hence the process may be delayed and the experiment might commence in the second week of September," said R B Bambale, hydraulic engineer in BMC.

The exercise aimed at increasing water-level in catchment areas in the metropolis, following deficient rains, was earlier scheduled from September 1-28.

The civic body requires DGCA's permission on the air space to be used by a plane before it goes ahead with the procedure. Also, the BMC is yet to get a green signal from the Maharashtra home department in this regard, he said.

However, if the rainfall improves in coming days, it will help in increasing water level in various dams, he added.

The official, however, said the cost of the project would escalate to Rs 20 crore from the previous Rs 12 crore, as the civic body will have to pay for using the runways.

The process will involve sprinkling of sodium chloride crystals from a plane on clouds to induce precipitation and subsequently, rain. It will be held over Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna lakes.

Earlier this month, a presentation in this regard was made by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) to the group leaders of various parties. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) will also be aiding the civic body in the project along with an Israeli company. 
Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 07:53
 

Water crisis looms large over city

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 05:21 administrator
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The Hindu   28.08.2012

Water crisis looms large over city

G. V. Prasada Sarma

Four more industrial bore-wells proposed

With shortfall in water supply looming large, the GVMC is considering alternatives like reducing the quantum of water supply or switching to alternate day supply in parts of the city.

As of now after overcoming problems caused by a recent breach to Yeleru canal and technical problems in Tatipudi supply, the supply levels to the industry and domestic sectors hover around 56 million gallons a day (mgd).

All through the summer, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation had braced itself for a probable pumping of water from the Yeleru reservoir if it reaches the dead storage level. Though summer is behind it now, GVMC finds itself in a worse situation with no rain in the catchment areas of Yeleru, Tatipudi, Raiwada and Megadrigedda reservoirs.

Water level in Yeleru reservoir from which a 156 km canal supplies water to the city is at 73.96 m, close to the minimum water level of 68.8 m and worse than 80.51 m and 80.95 m on the corresponding days in 2010 and 2011 respectively. In the summer of 2010, water was pumped from Yeleru canal to overcome the water crisis besides imposing alternate day supply.

Lowest levels

“Between 30 and 45 days from now, if the inflows do not improve we have to resort to pumping of water from the dead storage level and arrangements are already made for it by the steel plant,” says a GVMC official indicating the gravity of the situation.

Besides, the shortage from the reservoir will be met by pumping water from the Kateru lift irrigation scheme on the Godavari near Rajahmundry.

Similarly levels in Raiwada (102.1 m), Thatipudi (274.8 ft) and Meghadrigedda (45.4 ft) are at the lowest compared to the last two years. Besides, Raiwada is meeting agricultural demand also.

In the worse case scenario, a shortfall of 10 mgd is expected.

To maintain supply to the city a 40 per cent cut in industrial supply might be necessitated. Besides, other proposals include digging four more industrial bore-wells in Madhurawada area in addition to the existing two so that supply from the Town Service Reservoir (TSR) there can be diverted to the other areas.

Alternate day supply in 10 per cent of the area and reducing supply from one hour and 45 minutes to half an hour are the other measures contemplated.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 05:22
 

Corporation to supply water 24x7 on its own

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 05:04 administrator
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The Hindu    28.08.2012

Corporation to supply water 24x7 on its own

Special Correspondent

MCC may tap World Bank, State Government for funds

Work in progress:The council of Mangalore City Corporation also approved the draft bylaw of the corporation for plastic waste management and handling on Monday.— Photo: R. Eswarraj
 
Work in progress:The council of Mangalore City Corporation also approved the draft bylaw of the corporation for plastic waste management and handling on Monday.— Photo: R. Eswarraj

The council of Mangalore City Corporation at its meeting on Monday approved the civic body’s proposal of going for round-the-clock water supply in its wards on its own.

The council dropped an earlier proposal of entrusting the round-the-clock water supply to a private agency by asking it to invest funds required for the supply.

The House decided that loans and internal accruals would be the main sources of funding for the corporation. It resolved that water should be supplied round-the-clock without hiking the tariff. The council decided that the corporation should maintain the infrastructure.

Corporation commissioner Harish Kumar K. told the council that Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation had adopted round-the-clock water supply in eight wards on a pilot basis by availing loan from the World Bank and from grants from the State Government. It was now planning to extend the same to all its wards. The same model could be adopted in Mangalore. Mangalore City Corporation would be able to repay Rs. 5 crore to Rs. 6 crore annually as loan instalment from its own fund.

Dispensaries

The council agreed to allow Karnataka Ayurveda Medical College here to manage the free dispensaries of the corporation at Urwa Market and Bejai as the civic body had been facing dearth of doctors. It agreed to allow Srinivas Institute of Medical and Research Centre, Mukka, to provide medical services at the city family welfare centre of the corporation in Kuloor. Those institutes would have to enter into an agreement with the corporation and agree to certain conditions to be laid. Those institutes could treat outpatients and should purchase medicines on their own. If additional treatment was required, those institutes would have to admit the outpatients.

An agenda note tabled at the meeting said that of the 10 health centres of the corporation four have been handed over to private medical institutes for their management.The council approved the draft bylaw of the corporation for plastic waste (management and handling).

Road widening

The House approved a proposal to widen four narrow roads in the city. They are Ganapathi High School Road; Sharavu Mahaganathi Temple Road from Hotel Vimalesh Junction to Karnad Sadashiva Rao Road; Panje Mangesh Rao Road and Naguri to Mangalore Central Railway Station Road.

The council resolved that 22.31 cents of land from eight property owners on Kadri Kambala Road required to widen the road should be either acquired or taken possession of by giving owners TDR (transferable development rights). The council took the decision as the property owners had objected to part with the land.

Mayor Gulzaar Banu presided over the meeting.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 August 2012 05:05
 
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