New Delhi: There is an ambitious project to provide Delhiites 24×7 tap water supply.
But every progress towards this must take into account the large gap in the supply of raw water and demand and the use of water that is not liked by residents.
Delhi Jal Board Officials worried about very high water consumption patterns in several pilot areas where the tap water supply was lost 24×7.
Deputy Chairperson of DJB Raghav Chadha reviewed the pattern of water consumption and supply cycle in the pilot area last week.
He then tweeted that he and DJB officials have met residents of Shanti Niketan, Anand Niketan and Westend to study the pattern of water consumption from the population.
This area currently has an active water supply.
“Very useful insight!” Chadha said in a tweet.
A DJB official revealed that water consumption per capita in several pilot areas such as Westend is very high with several households where consumption per person of 1,100 liters per capita per day (LPCD).
“When water is provided 24×7 and does not need overhead storage so that minimizes leakage in the supply system, consumption per capita must really go down,” shows the official.
“We are targeting an average consumption of 230 LPCDs.” Factors such as climate, culture, land use and working conditions determine public water needs.
The Indian standard bureau report shows a minimum of 200 LPCDs for the city with a full flushing system.
UNION housing and the urban ministry suggested 135 LPCD for urban households, while 55 LPCD was set for rural areas under Jal Jeevan Mission.
DJB reports on water consumption in five pilot colonies in three regions revealed that people in the Westend colonies used 443 LPCDs.
Similarly, Enclave Geetanjali has an average consumption of 295 LPCDs, while consumption in Shantiniketan is 277 LPCD and in Anand Niketan, 229 LPCD.
“The situation in Navjeevan Vihar is relatively much better with the average consumption of 208 LPCDs,” said water utility officials.
The official was noted, “People in several households use drinking water to wash cars and gardening and we have registered consumption per capita as high as 900-1,100 LPCD.
The people concerned are argued that they are willing to pay for water, but we have to do it Be aware that water cannot be produced with money.
This is a limited resource that must be shared by all.
“At present, the 24×7 water supply pilot project covers around 12% of the population in three fields.
DJB plans to increase it to 77%.
The availability of raw water is the main challenge in realizing this ambitious project throughout the city.
In addition to excessive consumption, the pilot project also underlines the need to have a pipeline proof of leakage to maintain constant pressure in the system.
A DJB official said that appointing several private contractors in each zone to manage supply and maintenance networks could help achieve this goal.