For most cities in India, 24×7 water supplies remains a dream. Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development & Finance Corporation has successfully experimented with such a water supply scheme in Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga & Belgaum. Now the corporation is further experimenting involving a private water distributor in Mysore targeting to reach out to more than 1.74 lakh persons. Major features of the experiment include:
1. Project awarded to a private agency with expertise in water sector.
2. One of the principles was that efficient water service coupled with an effective system of collection would ensure willingness among people to pay.
3. Even when there is sufficient water in the system compared to demand however large scale leakage of water means low pressure. For example, in Mysore while water pumped is 185 million litres per day (MLD) and with demand of 120 MLD, there should be 65 MLD surplus in the system. This would be sufficient to maintain pressure in the system.
4. Obviously one of the key features of the scheme is to stop leakage in distribution system.
5. BPL in Dharwad were charged a fixed amount of Rs 48/- per month. Considering many of the poor where even women are daily wage workers, this amount was willingly paid as they did not have to wait to loose there wages waiting for storage of water.
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