Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to invite tenders for water meters to be installed in households. It's also going for bulk purchase of LED lights to replace halogen streetlights across the city.
These are some of the measures KMC needs to undertake on a war footing to be able to avail of a Rs.2500 crore loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Trinamool Congress-run civic board cannot afford to lose the funds as it faces elections in May next year. Apart from modernizing the sewerage and drainage systems, ADB funds will be utilized to revamp water supply and in beautification projects.
Mayor Sovan Chatterjee's focus is on revamping water supply . With less than a year left for the civic polls, he has told his mayoral council that all loopholes in the distribution system need to be plugged.
KMC will overhaul the water distribution system in the city core areas.
Next, it needs to know how much water gets wasted due to pipeline leaks and faulty taps. KMC has decided to install water meters in all households but slums are exempt.
In the first phase, more than 50,000 houses will be covered in Dum Dum, Cossipore, Shyambazar, APC Road and Chittaranjan Avenue. After surveying water consumption pattern in these areas, KMC will finalize the water fees to be levied. KMC sent two senior officials to Manila and Bangkok recently to study how civic corporations in these two cities collect water tax from highrises. Water supply department officials said KMC spends around Rs.200 crore in producing water but earns only Rs.45 crore, mostly from commercial establishments and a few high-rises.
KMC will have to opt for LED lights on the streets. ADB has asked the civic body to prepare an energy efficiency audit report and submit it to its headquarters at Manila. A KMC finance department official on Friday said that LED lights would slash energy bill by 50%. KMC spends Rs.36 crore as electricity bill per month.
These are some of the measures KMC needs to undertake on a war footing to be able to avail of a Rs.2500 crore loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Trinamool Congress-run civic board cannot afford to lose the funds as it faces elections in May next year. Apart from modernizing the sewerage and drainage systems, ADB funds will be utilized to revamp water supply and in beautification projects.
Mayor Sovan Chatterjee's focus is on revamping water supply . With less than a year left for the civic polls, he has told his mayoral council that all loopholes in the distribution system need to be plugged.
KMC will overhaul the water distribution system in the city core areas.
Next, it needs to know how much water gets wasted due to pipeline leaks and faulty taps. KMC has decided to install water meters in all households but slums are exempt.
In the first phase, more than 50,000 houses will be covered in Dum Dum, Cossipore, Shyambazar, APC Road and Chittaranjan Avenue. After surveying water consumption pattern in these areas, KMC will finalize the water fees to be levied. KMC sent two senior officials to Manila and Bangkok recently to study how civic corporations in these two cities collect water tax from highrises. Water supply department officials said KMC spends around Rs.200 crore in producing water but earns only Rs.45 crore, mostly from commercial establishments and a few high-rises.
KMC will have to opt for LED lights on the streets. ADB has asked the civic body to prepare an energy efficiency audit report and submit it to its headquarters at Manila. A KMC finance department official on Friday said that LED lights would slash energy bill by 50%. KMC spends Rs.36 crore as electricity bill per month.
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