Chandigarh, December 16
Achieving the final milestone of the ambitious 24×7 pan city water supply project, the Municipal Corporation today signed a historic agreement with French financial institution Agence Franccedil;aise de Deacute;veloppement (AFD) with the support of the European Union at Raj Bhawan.
The agreement was signed by Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra on behalf of the MC and AFD’s Director for India Bruno Bosle in the presence of UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Ambassador of European Union (EU) to India Ugo Astuto, Mayor Sarbjit Kaur and other dignitaries.
Will cut wastage, ensure clean water
Intermittent water supply results in higher consumption due to storage and leads to contaminationRound-the-clock high pressure water supply at household level will eliminate chances of contamination24x7 supply will ensure there is no storage, thus saving time and costCity’s current non-revenue water is 30-35%, which will drop to 15%
Purohit said while the 24×7 water supply system had been implemented in other cities of India, Chandigarh’s pan city project with smart water metering for all 1.77 lakh connections was a first of its kind.
“Chandigarh’s deep-rooted relationship with France is well known as the entire city was planned by famous French architect Le Corbusier,” he said, adding in 2016, then French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Chandigarh and at the iconic Rock Garden, it was decided France would support crucial infrastructure projects in the city.
First phase by 2023-end
City has been divided into 55 district metered areas (DMAs) and 24×7 water supply system will first be implemented in one of the DMAs by December 2023. The entire city will be covered within 5 years.
Fair share for women
Women will occupy 20% to 50% posts at all levels of the project, right from operator to managerial cadres.
Rs 510-cr project
Rs 412 cr AFD’s soft loanRs 98 cr EU’s grant
5 years Project duration
270 km Waterline to be replaced
260 Tubewells to be phased out
He appreciated the vision and commitment of the European partners for the project. The AFD has envisaged the design of the programme and is funding a major part of the investment through a soft loan of Rs 412 crore. The EU on the other hand is providing Rs 98 crore grant through the AFD for the implementation of the investment.
He said the project was the need of the hour as the entire water supply system of the city was ageing. Also, due to a steady rise in population, criss-crossing pipelines had come up across the city, making it near impossible to isolate and detect leakages leading to low pressure on upper floors of the buildings.
Typically, intermittent water supply results in higher per capita consumption of water due to storage. Besides, it leads to contamination. The city witnesses much higher water consumption in the range of 227 litres per person (capita) per day (lpcd) as compared to the national 150 lpcd majorly on account of non-revenue water (that cannot be monetised) in the range of 30-35%, leading to a huge operational and maintenance cost.
He said as much as 270 km of water supply network, which was non-conducive to supply of high pressure water, would be replaced during the execution of the project.
Round-the-clock high pressure water at the household level would eliminate chances of contamination. As 24×7 water supply system will ensure no storage at household level, which will save huge costs and time of residents waiting for water.
He applauded the project had a strong gender equity core. Women would benefit the most from the project.
Women would be at the forefront of the project and occupy 20% to 50% posts at every level, right from operator to managerial cadres. This would lead to women empowerment within the society, he said.
Purohit asked the officers of UT Administration and MC to ensure the project was implemented within a stipulated period.
The Mayor said the primary goal of the project was switching from intermittent supply to 24×7 pressurised supply system citing health, hygiene and water-saving benefits.
She said the MC and citizens would benefit from the project as the non-revenue water, which was now in the range of 30-35%, would gradually come down to 15%.
As the project envisaged smart metering up to the household level, all leakages even in the internal plumbing would be identified. Once citizens rectified the same, the water billing would also come down.
Through smart water metering, the consumption pattern of residents would be monitored and consumer would be made aware of any deviation from the normal in use of water. Reasons such as leakage in the internal plumbing system of the house would be proactively taken up with the consumer for corrective action.
She said due to overuse of water resources over a decade, the groundwater had depleted up to 20 metre in the city. Completion of the project would see phasing out of the 260-odd tubewells over the next five years, thereby arresting the depletion of groundwater and starting the process of aquifer rejuvenation.
She added the project was in line with the ‘Green Chandigarh’ mission as replacement of existing pumping machinery with energy efficient pumps would reduce the greenhouse emissions substantially.
As leakages go down, the MC would be able to provide consistent water supply to residents using reduced water resources. This would lead to lesser pumping of water, further reducing the carbon footprint of the project.
