BWSSB’s seven-year itch begins

The same story begins again about leaks and new meters..Has there been any report document (bwssb annual report) showing which are the areas the meters has been replaced...to be replaced etc...What about their GIS maps, why dont they publish a map of areas above 7 years etc...
-sas
BWSSB’s seven-year itch begins 01 Oct 2009

BANGALORE: To curb water distribution losses, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is planning to replace all domestic water meters that are more than seven years old. The BWWSSB will bear the cost of the replacement, which will start from the first week of October.

A BWSSB official said that as per international standards, the lifespan of a water meter is fixed at seven years, after which they might become ineffective.

The meters used by nondomestic consumers for over seven years will also be changed by BWSSB. But the consumers themselves will have to bear the expenses of the meters, which will vary from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh, based on the size of the meter.

This measure is expected to reduce the amount of unaccounted water, said to be 36 per cent of the total water supplied by BWSSB.

BWSSB is losing Rs 17-19 crore every month due to unaccounted water.

There are around 5.5 lakh domestic water meters installed in the city, with more than 1.5 lakh water connections more than seven years old.

BWSSB will continue to replace the meters as and when they cross seven years of installation.

Earlier, single-jet-class A meters were installed, which will now be replaced with multi-jet-class B meters, which are of superior make and more accurate.

The official said, “A multi-jet meter costs around Rs 1,000 and the board will recover the money through monthly meter service charges, which is fixed at Rs 20.” BWSSB has also invited tenders to procure the multi-jet-meters. A supplier has to pass through the ‘technical bid’ and ‘financial bid’ to get the contract.

According to conditions laid down in the technical bid, the suppliers’ product has to pass the “life-cycle test” conducted by the Fluid Control Research Institute at Phalghat in Kerala.

madhusudhan@epmltd.com