Water meters to be mandatory at new complexes

Kolkata : The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is set to make it mandatory for new housing complexes to install water meters. This would be a prelude to metering the entire water supply system in the city.
The decision was taken at a recent meeting of ADB and KMC officials in the city. "The ADB covenant provides that revenue from water tariffs must match cost of production by 2004-05," ADB India''s head of urban development Alex Jorgenesen told TNN on Friday.
Jorgensen was in the city to review progress of the $360 million Calcutta Environment Improvement Project, which is being principally funded by a $ 250 million loan from the ADB.The project seeks to develop sewerage systems in Cossipore, Behala, Jadavpore and Garden Reach, apart from improvements in solid waste management, slums and restoration of select canals.
Introduction of tariffs for water, sewerage and solid waste were some of the main conditions set by the bank for the loan. "KMC has already increased its water tariffs, resulting in substantial rise in revenues," Jorgensen said.
For existing buildings, a cost-benefit analysis was to be done before installation of meters. "We need to see if the costs of installing these meters would really justify the returns," Jorgensen said. Otherwise, fixed charges would be levied.
Due to delays by the KMC, the CEI project is already almost a year behind schedule. According to the original report, the civil works for sewerage and drainage was to have begun by the middle of this year, as was the initial work on the restoration of the canals. "Now, it does not seem possible that works would begin before the end of the 2004 monsoons," Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen said that the KMC''s Project Management Unit was yet to have the full powers necessary to perform its functions as the nodal agency for implementing the project. "There is still a shortage of staff," he said.
Under directions from the ADB, the KMC has decided to appoint a joint commissioner at its Project Management Unit. The joint commissioner will assume charges on December 1. "While the municipal commissioner is in overall charge of the unit, it is not possible for him to take day to day decisions, as he has the onerous task of managing a city of five million people. That is why we have insisted on an officer of joint commissioner rank to handle the day to day affairs," Jorgensen said.
Currently, the project management consultants, DNV of Holland, are busy preparing master plans for the project. "The calling of contracts for the works are expected to begin from January," Jorgensen said.