^{Kolkata civic body focuses on water loss prevention around EM Bypass}

KOLKATA: It’s mission prevention of water loss for Kolkata Municipal Corporation. After successful installation of water meters in some north Kolkata areas coming under wards 1-6 of the KMC, the civic body now focusing on entire Eastern Metropolitan Bypass for the same purpose under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded project for minimizing city’s water loss.
The ADB on Monday held a meeting with the mayor Sovan Chatterjee and municipal commissioner Khalil Ahmed on the future plans for installation of water meters in areas off EM Bypass.The KMC has also plans to go for metered water supply in Joka area where the civic body will supply filtered water from a newly built water treatment plant from Garden Reach.
According to plans, the KMC water supply department aims at bringing the entire Bypass housing complexes under the metered water supply scheme. The civic body has already installed 19 major water meters in some major housing complexes along the Bypass. “We supply filtered water to listed housing complexes off EM Bypass through dedicated water pipes at night. This was planned to ensure that these major housing complexes where we had installed water meters have plenty of water for their inmates. We hope to get good revenue from these complexes in future,” said a KMC water supply department official. According to a civic official the KMC was ready to supply all housing complexes along the Bypass from Jai Hind water treatment plant at Dhapa.
Nita Pokhrel, India’s project officer for the ADB on Monday held a meeting with the mayor and municipal commissioner and expressed satisfaction over the civic initiative of installation of water meters in Dum Dum—Cossipore—Paikpara areas. Some ADB representatives have expressed their willingness to visit areas where the civic body has completed the task of water meter installation.
Pokhrel reportedly gave a green signal for taking up similar projects for residents of EM Bypass and Joka. “The ADB has assured us funds for taking up a pilot project for installation of water meters in small residential houses along EM Bypass. Such installation will pave the
way for minimization of water loss in the region,” said a KMC water supply department official.
Residents of some of the major housing complexes along Bypass where water meters have been installed are happy over abundant supply of water through a dedicated channel. Manab Chakraborty, a senior government official and a resident of Rail Vihar said that he had no shortage of filtered water ever since the KMC water supply department started supplying water through a dedicated water pipe after installation of water meters in the housing complex. “Now we enjoy uninterrupted supply of filtered water. We don’t mind paying for such a privilege,” Chakraborty said. Pallab Pal, another senior government official also felt that installation of water meter was a right step on part of the civic body. “Earlier we faced water scarcity. Now the situation has changed.
We don’t have any shortage. This model can be followed in other housing complexes too,” Pal said. Measures taken under KMC water loss prevention management: ? Installation of water meters in 19 major housing complexes along EM Bypass ? Applications from 10 other such complexes are pending from Bypass areas ? Quantity of filtered water consumed by 19 housing complexes: 4,000 kilo litres ? Source of water: Jai Hind Water treatment plant at Dhapa ? Capacity of the treatment plant: 30million gallon