Bulk metres to be installed in Delhi to check water supply

Nearly 3,000 bulk meters will be installed in the national capital to check the amount of water being supplied to colonies, the AAP government announced in its Budget for 2018-19.

The government has allocated Rs 2,777.50 crore for water supply and sewage treatment for 2018-19.

The total allocation, this time, is 19.85 per cent more than the revised estimate of 2017-18.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Delhi, which has a population of about 2 crore gets 900 MGD water.

This means that there is 200 litre of water per capita available per day which shows there is no shortage of water in Delhi, he said.

However, Kejriwal said that there was a problem of management of resources.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that in the last 70 years, there was no available data on how much water was supplied to which colony, water stolen and lost due to leakages.

"In the review of the last Outcome Budget it came to notice that 47 per cent of water in Delhi is non-revenue water. It means, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) does not know about its water lost due to theft or leakage," he said.

Kejriwal said that there will be 2,600-3,000 meters installed by the end of December.

These meters will be installed at all water treatment plants, primary and secondary underground water reservoirs, and to prevent water theft.

The data on bulk water meters will be uploaded so that citizens get to know how much of water is being supplied to their colony by the DJB.

The chief minister said that now the government will set up small sewage treatment plants in various colonies of Burari, Chattarpur, Kirari, Narela, Jindpur, Palla, Bawana, Kanjhwala, Badarpur, Mundka and Najafgarh.

Earlier large sewage treatment plants were installed in Delhi.

The DJB is also planning to lay internal sewer line in 162 colonies in Palam, Bijwasan, Matiyala, Dwarka, Najafgrah, Mundka, Rithala and Vikaspuri and these will be completed in phases by December 2020.

The sewage from these colonies will be treated in Nilothi, Dwarka, Rithala and Najafgarh STPs and about 13 lakh population will be benefitted.