KARACHI: Individual metering suggested to cut water wastage
By Azizullah Sharif
KARACHI, July 17: Terming the city’s water supply system “inefficient” and “wasteful”, the forthcoming Karachi Strategic Master Plan (KSMP)-2020 has warned that pumping more water into the system will proportionately amplify the technical and financial losses, increasing waste.
Emphasising the need for implementing a series of different simultaneous measures to reduce water consumption by end users, the KSMP, whose copy has been obtained by Dawn, recommends metering of all water supply consumers. It says the cost of metering should be built into the water tariff and spread over a period of three to four years.
By doing so, the water utility will create incentives for decreased water consumption through mandatory, phased installation of water meters at all consumers’ connections whether domestic, industrial, commercial or government, the KSMP adds.
The KWSB has also been suggested to strive to achieve 24/7 water supply service, both to satisfy customer preferences and to reduce the contamination of water supply and associated public health risks.
Exhorting the water utility to accord top priority to strengthening/replacing affected pipelines, the KSMP underlines the need for controlling technical losses by reducing leakages, energy use and bulk water supply requirements.
‘Non-revenue water’
The magnitude of the heavy water losses being incurred by the KWSB could be gauged from the fact that a Japanese study team, which is developing the city’s water and sewerage systems’ master plan with the financial assistance of JICA, in its report had estimated the non-revenue water (NRW) at 45 per cent.
Increase of tariff
The KSMP recommends to the KWSB to undertake a detailed study of expenditures with a view to providing service on a no-loss/no-profit basis to determine how much tariffs could be increased. Yet, it has been said, the tariff should be affordable for different income groups.
Besides, the utility should also carry out public education and customer outreach activities to educate the public about the need to rationalise the tariffs in order to improve service coverage and quality.
