Reasons Such As Chronic Shortage And Impurities In The Supply Cited

Lucknow: The recent government order to install water meters across all houses in seven major cities of UP, including Lucknow, has irked most sections of the society. The chronic shortage in supply hours and dirty flow of water has made public panic in many parts of the city. Residents claim that ignoring these shortcomings, the government has taken a unilateral decision to install water meters in every house.

Gandhinagar: The Narendra Modi government had formed the Gujarat Water Regulatory Authority (GWRA) on February 14, 2012 — Valentine’s Day — hoping to streamline water usage in the state.

New Delhi: Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday announced waiving of late payment charges on water bills, in a relief to consumers.

In a bid to counter the relentless attack by the Opposition BJP on the issue of availability of water in the city, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday broke her silence and offered substantial relief to consumers of the Delhi Jal Board.

Addressing the Delhi Assembly, Ms. Dikshit, who is also the DJB Chairperson, said: “The DJB has decided to provide substantial relief to consumers by waiving off their accumulated late payment surcharge.”

Is the PPP model going to work in the field of drinking water services?

Total Contribution Would Be Close To 150 Crore

Pune: The state cooperation department has decided to raise funds for people in the water scarcity-hit areas from cooperative banks and credit societies. The total contribution would be close to Rs 150 crore, said officials from the state cooperation department. Last week, state cooperation minister Harshvardhan Patil had made an announcement that funds will be raised for the scarcity hit areas. In the backdrop of the announcement, the cooperative department has come up with a fund raising plan.

Residents to get 20-litre cans at Rs. 12; novel project to boost local body’s income

Amidst the growing popularity of packaged drinking water, Mudichur panchayat near Tambaram has ventured into a novel project of supplying purified water in 20-litre cans at a subsidised price to its residents. The panchayat will soon begin distributing water that has been purified in a reverse osmosis plant and packaged in 20-litre cans. The cans will be supplied at Rs. 12 against the retail price of a maximum of Rs. 30.

Hyderabad: Irrespective of the quantity of water they get, residents of the Secunderabad Cantonment will have to pay Rs 315 per month towards water bills from the month of May, as against Rs 145 they are paying now.

The Board, comprising elected representatives of the people, has approved the more than 100 per cent hike and Board’s president Brigadier Sunil S. Bodhe signed it into law on March 5.

Ahmedabad: The state government has admitted that the water crisis looms large over Saurashtra region. Even in January, a total of 74 villages in three talukas of Junagadh faced severe crisis. The government said that atotal of 216 dams in Rajkot and Kutch have gone dry.

In written reply to a question from Somnath MLA Jasa Barad, the state government said that Junagadh city was being given an additional 50 lakh litres of water every day. In far off villages in Sutrapada, Junagadh and Veraval, the water was being supplied through water tankers. In Junagadh, the number of villages where water was supplied with tankers was 42, followed by 26 in Sutrapada and six in Veraval taluka.

Slums account for a quarter of the urban population, but get only one twentieth of the total water supply, said Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Monday, referring to the sharp inequity in water supply in the country.

Expressing concern over the quality of water and the declining water table, he said: “Even the lucky one’s who are connected to the regular water supply system, get water of dubious quality, in an erratic manner. The solution being pursued is to bore wells, which is in turn is leading to an alarming decline in the water table, engendering a possible national groundwater crisis.”