In a first in State, water supply system in Kochi to be entrusted to private firm
Water supply lines laid along a distance of 750 km to be replaced and new water meters to be installed for 1.46 lakh consumers under the ADB-aided Kerala Urban Water Services Improvement Project
Water supply lines laid along a distance of 750 km will be replaced in Kochi and new water meters installed for 1.46 lakh consumers under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-aided Kerala Urban Water Services Improvement Project.
Under the project, the operation and maintenance of the entire water supply system of Kochi will be entrusted to a private player, a first such attempt in the State. A private firm, which won the bid for the implementation of the project, will be assigned the task. A final decision on the project cost will be decided by the State government shortly.
The ADB had earlier approved ₹800-crore loan to “support the modernisation of water supply services in the city of Kochi” to “improve the quality of urban life and build climate resilience”. The project will “rehabilitate and upgrade five existing water treatment plants that have a cumulative production capacity of 325 million litres per day [MLD], as well as build a new plant with 190-MLD capacity.” Besides replacing the pipelines, a “real-time monitoring system will be introduced”. “About 1,46,000 water meters will be replaced with high-quality and reliable meters,” according to an ADB communication.
The funding source for the 190-MLD plant is yet to be identified, according to KWA sources.
The 90-mm water supply lines will be replaced with 200-mm pipes and the 250-mm ones with 500-mm ones. The house service connections will be replaced and battery-operated ultrasonic water meters will be introduced for non-domestic consumers and multiset-magnetic type water meters for domestic consumers, according to the project proponents.
A project implementation unit and project management unit will be formed with officials of the Kerala Water Authority, which was so far the sole agency responsible for drinking water distribution in Kerala, on board. The two units will evaluate and supervise the work carried out by the private firm, according to sources.
The replacement of aged or underperforming pump sets, valves, delivery pipes and gauges and other devices, provision of booster chlorination equipment with automated dosing pump, renovation of all overhead water storage reservoirs in the Kochi Corporation area and clearing its premises and protection of components will be undertaken. The private firm will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the supply system for 10 years, according to the project documents.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT
Kerala
/
Kochi