KMC water supply dept keeping track of wastage of water

Kolkata: The water supply department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has started keeping track of the amount of water wasted in each household as part of its Water Loss Management project. The civic body has already installed water meters in a good number of households of ward number 1 to number 6 in North Kolkata.

"We are making an estimate of the amount of water that is required for the households on a daily basis and the amount that is being wasted on the basis of the readings in the water meters. We will conduct campaigns to make people aware that water should not be wasted," a senior official of the department said.

It is learnt that when Asian Development Bank (ADB) had announced to give loan to KMC for round-the-clock water supply in parts of the city it had made it clear that the civic body will have to keep a watch on the wastage of water as a condition.

As per estimates of the KMC, meters will be installed in as many as 25,000 households of the six wards among which more than 200 such meters have already been put in place.

A team from the water supply department is paying visits once in two weeks and are taking the readings of the water meters. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee had made it clear that no water tax will be levied to any people in the city for water.

As per sources in the KMC, 40 gallons of water are needed on a daily basis by the Kolkatans. But in reality, water used is much more which makes it clear that it is wasted. It is learnt that in ward numbers 1 to 6, water wastage is as high as 35 percent.

"We will adopt remedial measures to bring it down to 14 percent," an official said.

After installation in ward 1 to 6 in Cossipore, Belgachia, the KMC will set up such meters in Behala and Joka. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee had announced that in the next few years, the civic body will arrange for round-the-clock potable water supply in ward 1 to 6, in parts of EM Bypass like Mukundapur, Purba Jadavpur and also in parts of Behala and Joka. The rest of the city will have uninterrupted supply of water for 12 hours.