BWSSB team favours Singapore model of water management

After attending a workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management in Singapore, a team of engineers and officials of the BWSSB has recommended implemention of a few good practices followed there.

The BWSSB team, after studying water management in Singapore, felt that the conventional bulk meters, for non-domestic purposes, fitted in high-rise buildings can be replaced by compound meters.

 Compound meters have two measuring elements and a check valve to regulate flow between them. If the rate of water flow is high, the reading will be recorded by the higher size meter. When the flow rate drops, a smaller meter is used to measure it. 

During the demonstration, the BWSSB team found that by implementing the method,  10 to 15 per cent of water unaccounted for can be reduced.

The team has recommended for upgrading the meter testing laboratory. The officials suggested that the lab should be upgraded with the latest technology and qualified persons must be recruited for the same.

They felt that the existing customer service has to be improved using GIS mapping application for receiving the complaints, fixing the exact spot of the complaint on GIS map and communicating the same to field engineers and processing it till the complaint is closed.

The officials said there was a need for proper accounting of water from the supply source to the distribution system by providing bulk meters at all junctions.

BWSSB officials felt that deep tunneling system can be implemented to avoid frequent overflowing. By doing so, the water can be transferred to one point and utilised for non-potable purpose.

On October 9, 2012, the BWSSB had signed an MoU with Temasek Foundation and Singapore Cooperation Enterprises to develop capabilities for alternative sources of water by recycling and reusing waste water in Vrishabhavathi Valley. The said project has been taken up at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore borne at the ratio of 74:26 by SCE and the BWSSB.

 The main objective of phase-I was to develop capabilities for alternative sources of water through recycle and reuse of waste water of a capacity of 140 MLD in Vrishabhavathi Valley.