In a few months from now, Chennai residents will be paying their water bill based on the number of litres they consume, if the Metrowater board’s plan goes as per the script.
The board has started installing digital meters in commercial and semi-commercial water connections in parts of the city.
After January 2020, the meters will be installed in household connections too. Once the process is completed, the water bill for the households will be calculated based on the meter readings. Currently, the city residents pay a fixed tariff irrespective of the quantum of the water they consume.
The main objective is conservation of water since metered billing would make the users be prudent.
This would be the first time the Chennai residents would pay for water based on the quantum of consumption.
Earlier attempts for metered billing a few years ago were failed due to many reasons, including public opposition and faulty meters.
The Metrowater officials say the new digital meters are accurate and the earlier problems will not repeat. The Metrowater board is bearing the cost of the digital meters and the users will not be charged.
The officials said the water charges and slab rates would the same as what was revised in 2018 (see table).
Though the rates were fixed by the board and even revised occasionally, they were so far implemented only for commercial establishments since the water meters were not installed in most of domestic connections.
For domestic connections, Rs 4 will be charged for every kilolitre (KL), upto monthly consumption of 10 KL. For a consumption between 11 to 15 KL, Rs 16 will be charged for every KL. Between 15 to 24 KL, the rate is Rs 24 per KL and for 25 KL and above, it is Rs 40.
The whole concept of water metering was a much-debated one as residents and activists took opposing stances.
Some argued that the method of metering will be pointless as the board does not supply water round the clock to houses even within the Chennai Corporation limit.
But keeping in mind that water is a finite source, others argue that consumption will come down only if people knew how much they use and pay accordingly.
But officials said that water charges will not be levied when there is no supply.
“The existing meters (earlier installed in a few areas) sometimes show wrong readings and are prone to making errors.
"The new digital ones are manufactures by a french company and is tested at the Fluid Control Research Institute at Kerala before coming here. Also as and when added areas come under the water supply network, meters will be provided to them,” a Metrowater board official said.
As the first step towards this initiative which is funded by Smart City Mission, 600-odd digital water meters are being installed in commercial and water-intensive establishments located in Adyar, Velachery, Thiruvanmiyur, and Besant Nagar which fall come under zone 13.
In the next six months, a total of 12,708 digital meters will be installed in commercial, semi-commercial and other water-intensive establishments that consume more than five lakh litres of water per month.
Also, old manual meters will be replaced with the new ones and buildings that never had meters will be fitted with the digital meters.
Previously, manual meters installed by the board for commercial buildings started to dysfunction due to fluctuating water supply.
Officials said as the meters that will be installed now will give only automated reading, scope for error is low comparatively.
“Metro Water workers had to physically enter badly maintained sumps to take note of the reading once in a month. With the new meters, such a system doesn’t need to be followed anymore. Each meter will be connected to the Metro Water server and residents and officials alike can check it there,” said a senior official.
In the first phase, water-intensive bulk consumers like malls, marriage halls, and hotels will be fitted with digital meters and this work is expected to be completed by January 2020.
Once this is completed, as a part of the second phase, the meters will be installed in all domestic households.
| Type of establishment | Metered in (Kilo Litre -KL) | Unmetered in (Kilo Litre -KL) |
|---|---|---|
| Private Hospitals | Upto 500 KL- Rs 85 per KL Above 500 KL- Rs 140 per KL | Rs 1400 per month |
| All other comercial establishments | Above 500 KL-Rs 100 per KL | Rs 1200 per month |
| Partly Commercial | Upto 10 KL- Rs 8 per KL 1 to 15 KL -Rs 25 per KL Above 15 KL- Rs 40 per KL | Rs 250 per month |
| Private educational setups | Rs 70 per KL for entire quantity | Rs 650 per month |
| Govt hospitals | Rs 35 per KL for entire quantity | Rs 350 per month |
| All other partly commercial establishments | Rs 50 per KL for entire quantity | Rs 500 per month |
| Domestic | Upto 10 KL- Rs 4 per KL 11 to 15 KL- Rs 16 per KL 15 to 25 KL- Rs 24 per KL Above 25 KL- Rs 40 per KL | Upto 10 KL- Rs 4 per KL |