Water bills soon for houseowners in areas with 24x7 supply
Pune: Property owners in PMC limits may soon receive water bills based on their consumption as the civic body proposes to start distribution of the bills on a pilot basis.
The civic administration has finalised the areas for the pilot initiative where works for the
24x7 water supply project
have been completed.
The remaining areas would be chosen based on response to the first phase.
MJ Pradeep Chandran, the additional commissioner of
Pune Municipal Corporation
(PMC), said, "A new proposal for better implementation of water metering services has been drafted. It will be implemented after due approvals."
PMC officials said water supply zones in the city where over 90% of water meters have been installed would be selected for the pilot project. A PMC official said 141 such zones had been finalised under the project, with around 80 zones having more than 90% water meters.
Currently, only commercial properties with meters are charged bills based on monthly usage. Residential properties receive a one-time water charge in property tax bills. The new proposal being finalised would include residential properties in the metered water supply system.
Citizens said that though they welcome the decision to install water meters, the system should be implemented properly. "The administration should ensure equal treatment for people from societies, big taxpayers, and slums as far as collection of tax is concerned.
The experience is not good as far as property tax is concerned. Common citizens are made to pay tax, but defaulters are allowed to benefit from amnesty schemes," said Shantanu Inamdar, a Kothrud resident.
Ashwini Pathak of Bavdhan said that the administration should ensure that citizens receive adequate water. "Many housing societies depend on tankers as enough water is not available to them. If the administration is going to charge for water from property owners, they must get enough water and not rely on tankers," she said.
According to activists, the administration must also assure good quality water supply with adequate pressure. "The administration had announced that it will provide 24x7 water supply while implementing the metered system. But it is not talking about its assurances and forcing people to install meters and charge them accordingly. The administration is sending a wrong message by threatening those with legal water connections," said Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch.
PMC officials said that the pilot project's data showed that water consumption is more than normal. The usage is nearly three times more in some cases. The need for metered water supply has been emphasised because of undue use of water. As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 135 litres per capita per day (lpcd) has been suggested as the benchmark for urban water supply. For rural areas, a minimum service delivery of 55 lpcd has been fixed under Jal Jeevan Mission, which may be enhanced to a higher level by states.
Last week, PMC had told property owners to cooperate in installation of meters, stating that "their water connections will be snapped without any prior notice" if they don't cooperate. Water meters are being installed for 24/7 water supply project.
The installation of meters has faced obstacles due to various reasons, including opposition from locals. A shortage of chips also impacted production of water meters. Civic records showed that water meter installations began eight years ago, and over 70% of the target has been met. Around 1.8 lakh water meters have been installed so far.
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