11 tankers supplying water in 24x7 pilot zone

Nagpur: Even though Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is making tall claims over successful implementation of 24x7 water supply scheme, the ground reality is different. This is evident from the fact that many residential areas in Dharampeth zone — which is being claimed to be the city’s first zone to receive 24x7 water supply under pilot project — are still being supplied water through tankers.
What is worse is the fact that the number of tankers and their trips has witnessed a spike in the current fiscal. In 2012-13, NMC had deployed 283 tankers that made 3.53 lakh trips while in the current fiscal (2017-18), the number increased to 333 tankers and 11.12 lakh trips.

According to a data procured from NMC’s water works department, the civic body has pressed 11 tankers to supply water in this zone. Though maximum eight tankers are being used to provide water supply that have no water network, three tankers are making hundreds of trips daily to supply water in the network areas.

The Orange City Water Limited (OCWL), which has taken over supply since November 2011, has failed to improve the system. “Currently, NMC has deployed 267 tankers in the city — mostly in non-network areas and these are making 2,670 trips daily,” said an official. OCW’s 66 tankers are being deployed to supply water in 66 network areas.

According to the statistics, 10 tankers are providing water in Laxmi Nagar zone, 11 in Dharampeth, 16 in Hanuman Nagar, 10 in Dhantoli, 64 in Nehru Nagar, 4 in Gandhibagh, 1 in Satranjipura, 116 in Lakadganj, 97 in Ashi Nagar and 4 in Mangalwari zone.

Former NCP corporator Vedprakash Arya said the OCW had failed to cover even the entire Dharampeth zone, which was the pilot area for the 24x7 water supply project. “The presence of tankers in Dharampeth zone belies civic body’s tall claims,” he said. He added that the number of tankers deployed are not required and demanded an inquiry into the tankers’ deployment.

Arya pointed out that even after so many years, city’s water supply has not improved. The civic body was every year hiking water tariff by 5% to pay more to OCW. The figures revealed NMC had paid Rs79.31 crore in 2012-13, Rs83.99 crore in 2013-2014, Rs87.47 crore in 2014-15, Rs95.29 crore in 2015-16 and Rs97.76 crore in 2016-17 to OCW.

“Since 2012, the civic body had suffered a loss of over Rs300 crore on water supply,” he claimed. He also pointed out in 2011-12, when the civic body was handling city’s water supply, it had earned a profit of Rs3 crore.

NMC’s water works department’s executive engineer Sanjay Gaikwad and committee chairman Rajesh Ghodpage were not available for comment.