Coimbatore: At a time when the water bodies in the city have filled due to incessant rain, a Germany-based company has launched a study for the civic body to revamp its water management system.
Under the ‘Smart Water Future India’ project funded by the German federal environment ministry, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering had signed a memorandum of understanding with the civic body about six months ago.
In the first step, the institute conducted a meeting with several organizations working for a better water management system to understand the present condition of the city, a city corporation official said. “The institute will provide technical assistance to the civic body to develop a concept for intelligent water and waste water management. We have been struggling to provide adequate drinking water and disposal of waste water. As not all the houses are connected to the sewage system and sewage treatment plants, waste water is discharged directly into the water bodies and the pollution level remains high,” he said.
The project does not fall under the purview of the 24/7 drinking water supply project and the recommendations made by the institute pertaining to drinking water will be considered after a discussion, the official said. “The company will concentrate on management and distribution of treated water, not drinking water.”
Based on an innovation network of German experts, a skill development lab would be be established in the city. The experts will recommend projects pertaining to waste water management, storm water management, solid waste management and water supply management.
The institute had also signed similar MoUs with the civic bodies of Kochi and Bhubaneswar that were selected for implementing smart city mission projects.
