THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Water Authority is preparing steps to install prepaid water meters that can be recharged and used so as to prevent unnecessary wastage of drinking water.
The Board of Directors meeting held a preliminary discussion on the topic, and the recommendation will be submitted to the government soon. The idea is to install automatic meters so that the consumers can recharge easily and get the water equivalent to the amount charged. The connection will be cut off when the amount runs out. Five companies have shown interest in undertaking the project while two companies have learned about the working procedure involved.
The state currently has gear meters that calculate readings based on usage. Among these, 40,012 meters are not operational. Therefore, the amount of extra water used is not known. 45 percent of water is lost through theft or leakage. Tampering with meters is also rampant. There are also not enough meter inspectors to detect defects. Taking all this into account, the prepaid meter project was brought to the table for discussion.
At the same time, the government needs to make a policy decision to make the change a reality. The water authority can proceed only after getting the ‘yes-nod’ from the government.
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