PMC installs 30 water meters in Aundh area

PUNE: As many as 30 meters were installed in commercial establishments in the Aundh area till late on Sunday night in the first phase, paving the way for the measurement of the actual water consumption from March.

Readings from these 30 meters — fitted under the 24X7 water supply project — will be available in the next two months.

V G Kulkarni, the head of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s water department, told TOI, “These are the first meters to be installed under the scheme. The water supply to a commercial bank will be checked as a part of this pilot project. The civic body has planned to expand the installation of meters in other parts of the city such as Ahmednagar road.”

The equitable water supply project works would be executed in different components, according to the PMC officials. The first step was building tanks and the second was laying pipelines. The third step is installing water meters.

There will separate types of meters for commercial and residential establishments. A third type would be fitted to water supply lines.

The water meters will cost between Rs6,000 and Rs9,500. The civic body plans to install nearly 3.15 lakh meters in households.

The installation of meters faced obstacles earlier. The tendering process was affected because of lack of response from firms.

The 24X7 water supply project is being executed in the city with an aim to provide equal volume of water to all the areas. A total of 103 tanks will be built across the city under the scheme.

The works under the scheme include laying 1,600km pipelines and installation of meters. The PMC has set a target of completing the works by 2021. The 24X7 water supply project will cost the civic body around Rs2,900 crore, according to the PMC officials.

A civic official said the project could be expanded. The newly merged villages in the PMC would be included in it. A new consultant for drafting a detailed project report would be appointed soon.