To keep track of individual water usage in each house, apartment and other places, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is composing a plan to make water meters mandatory. The sole purpose of this initiative is to monitor the usage of water and reduce water bills.
The need for water meters
As each home in an apartment complex has a separate water connection from an overhead tank, the BWSSB will direct the communities to install water meters at their main pipelines. The meters will show individual counts, to be charged accordingly.
The officials believe that most of the apartment in the city doesn’t have such water meters installed. They pay the bill along with the common house rent leaving them clueless about the water consumption. Even the Cauvery water supplied in flats hardly has such meters installed to keep the track of water usage.
Helps in preventing water wastage
“Having submeters will also help us know if the water is being lost due to leakage, by comparing supply and consumption. We are working with builders towards making submeter compulsory. Even the dual piping system will be made mandatory. We are thinking a penalty for violators”, said an official.
The sources said that up to 36% of the total water supply in Bengaluru is Unaccounted For Water (UFW), of which 25% is a result of leakage from distribution mains and pipes. Installing such water meters could save up to Rs 1000 crore. These systems are already functional in many new apartment complexes and IT parks in the city. This helps them save up to 60% of the water every month.
There are also plans to have another theme park in the city which associates the line of Jayanagara’s Rain Water Harvesting theme park. The following place will display water-efficient devices, fixtures and plumbing technology which will help people understand the importance of such systems.
