Surat: Tender Scrutiny Committee (TSC) of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has approved 24x7 water supply to Pal and Vesu for which water meters would be fitted on 25,000 connections in these posh areas in the city within two years.
SMC believes charging people depending upon one’s usage would help check wastage of water even as it plans to supply water 24x7 in the entire city within the next seven years through metered connections.
SMC would spend Rs 66 crore on the project to be implemented in 20 sq km area of Pal and Vesu. The water meter’s cost of Rs 5,000 would be covered from a customer in 24 instalments spread over two years’ period.
The hydraulic department of the municipal corporation supplies nearly 1,150 MLD of water daily to 4.15 lakh water connections of different types and sizes.
“Majority of water pipe connections are that of 0.5 inch size and they are metered. Hence, when we start supplying 24x7 water to the entire city, more than 90 per cent would be to metered connections,” additional city engineer, SMC, A H Khatwani said.
At present, the city gets intermittent water supply. Only new Katargam, which forms 8 per cent area of the city, gets 24x7 water supply. However, there is opposition to 24x7 supply with water meter because people living in this part of the city are not financially sound.
“We have set up rate structure, wherein during 24x7 water supply, people using up to 20,000 litre per month would pay nothing. However, if they consume additional water, they would have to pay up,” an officer of SMC said.
“When people have to pay for what they consume, they will be cautious. Because water is free many just believe in wasting it. We want to stop wastage of water and the best way is to install water meters,” he said.
