Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) have implemented various infrastructure development programs under KUDCEMP in selected 10 coastal and off coastal towns of Karnataka. This project is assisted by Asian Development Bank, and one of the loans covenant is to reduce the non revenue water by less than 25% out of total quantum of daily water supply. As a part of this study, KUIDFC had prepared a Manual for Water Balance through consultant guiding the ULB staff in understanding the need, methodology, process and steps involved in developing and monitoring a regular water balance. In this connection, the concerned ULBs have taken an initiative in recording and forwarding the database to KUIDFC on monthly basis. However, there are various anomalies found in the database, which are being sent by the ULBs in prescribed format. By keeping this in view, KUIDFC had approached CMAK to conduct a brief study in all KUDCEMP towns in order to find out the authenticity of the database and the difficulties faced by the ULBs in filling up the format, and submit the report at the earliest.

 

WATER BALANCING

 Water balancing from an accounting perspective is confirming and compiling information on the water supply operations as a whole. Most of the ULBs have not previously conducted water audits while many maintain registers of pumping records based on timing of start and end of the pumping regime. Some Municipal Councils has bulk meters on their production systems and few customer meters but there is no regular update or collating the meter readings to work out water balance. Water loss is generally termed as Unaccounted for Water (UFW) or Non Revenue Water (NRW). Earlier, if water was not accounted for then it was simply considered as loss. But in the recent times, the usage of Non-Revenue Water has become prominent that even when the water is accounted, but does not recover the costs in producing then it is considered as loss to the ULB. Based on the International Water Association’s (IWA) methodology which is being followed all over the world, the method of preparing the water balance is proven to be very useful to understand the efficiency of the water services. This methodology implements new terminology that will need to be thoroughly understood: corrected input volume; authorized consumption; apparent loss and real loss.

 

UNDERSTANDING THE METHODOLOGY

In accounting terms, balancing is the procedure of confirming and compiling information gathered on the entity as a whole. The ULB is merely verifying that all the data being gathered is the most valid data possible. With this methodology, utility operations are broken down into numerous categories with questions that should verify the data validity.

 

System Input Volume - This is the volume of all the water that is produced from the water treatment plants or bore wells or transferred from other supply area through interconnecting arrangements and delivered into to a defined distribution supply area of the ULB.

 

Water Supplied – Defined as system input volume minus water exported from the supply area to another neighbourhood supply area.

Authorized Consumption

 

This category consists of all water that has been authorized for use or consumption. Authorized consumption includes the following sub-categories:

 

Revenue Water

a) Billed Metered – This is defined as the volume of water that has been supplied and for which the water charges from customers has been received. The ULB as far as possible shall ensure that all connections are metered and are accounted in the billing cycle.

 

b) Billed Un-metered - For all uses that have not been metered but water charges or water tax is received. This is more relevant in most of Karnataka towns due to the absence of customer meters. As there are no customer meters and to follow a simple flat tariff, the ULBs could explore the system of charging on an initial estimate of consumption based on type of water consumption, sizes of connecting pipe, property, family, sump, number of water points etc.

 

Non Revenue Water

 

a) (Unbilled Un-metered 2 – All uses that are un-metered and no income is received. These are mostly the public taps, social institutions, municipal parks, street washing (if practiced), public toilets etc, which are provided free water by the ULBs. This also includes the water lost during repairs, or providing new connections etc in the distribution system. Accurate consumption can be assessed based on correct average consumption pattern (generally in the order of 40lpcd), number of people dependent on each tap (about 100 people per tap) etc.

Water Losses This is the difference between System Input Volume and Authorized Consumption. This consists of two major sub-categories: real losses and apparent losses.

 

b) Real Losses – These are physical losses from the infrastructure, distribution pipelines, valves and service pipes. This includes all leaks, bursts and reservoir overflows that occur before customer meter. There are many reasons for leaks: poor pipe laying practices and workmanship; high pressure, pressure fluctuations; and lack of periodical maintenance on valves and other fixtures.

 c) Apparent Losses – These losses comprise of illegal connections, accounting errors, billing inaccuracies, slow moving or stopped customer meters and bypassed meters. Format 1 is an appropriate water balance spread sheet and Format 2 is the detailed instructions on filling the same are herewith enclosed.

 

WATER LOSS MONITORING PROGRAM  

 

The ULBs also can install sampling meters for different categories of domestic connections across the city so that these sample readings can provide some check and understanding on the consumption pattern. Another option is to conduct periodical sampling tests where in the flow from the customer tap is measured by a bucket of known volume and by multiplying with the supply hours of the respective area; the average consumption can be assessed. 2 Depending on how public taps, government offices, parks, fountains, pipeline flushing, fire department use and/or other operations are classified, they can be any one of the four types of authorized consumption. Just include them under the correct category for correct balancing.

 

After conducting a top down water balance the ULB must develop program to reduce water losses to increase overall efficiency of the services to customers. When the ULB considers water loss to be high, the first step is to develop a systematic plan that reduces the losses to an acceptable level. Reducing and maintaining the water losses at an accepted level should be cultivated as an apart of the operational practices with sufficient budget support from ULBs.

 

 By reducing water loss the ULB will effectively reduce the need to locate additional water sources. It should be noted that real loss represents a wasted resource as the utility has spent financial resources on the production of this water. Minimizing water loss may minimize the search for future water resources to meet demand.

 

By using this methodology, along with regular implementation of water balancing programs followed by a consistent NRW reduction program in the water supply operations; the ULB can target at an incremental reduction in water loss each year. Therefore, goals should be set on long term but are certainly achievable.

 

ROLE OF CMAK

 

City Managers’ Association Karnataka (CMAK) have conducted meticulous investigations in all 10 KUDCEMP towns namely Ankola, Bhatkal, Dandeli, Karwar, Kundapur, Puttur, Sirsi, Udupi, Ullala & Mangalore, by performing reconnaissance survey at Head works, Treatment plant, Storage facilities etc., random checks on Revenue collection, Water distribution pattern and interactions with ULB staff and public so as to ascertain the prevailing system.

 

a. Data compilation, Analysis and Primary data generation The data compilation, Analysis and Primary data generation has been done for all the above said 10 towns and the Final report is been presented town wise.

 

 b. Reporting and Submission The Technical details, Summary sheet, Field observations, Mathematical calculations, Computations, Recommendations and Checklists were prepared in order for all 10 KUDCEMP towns and submitted a Final Report to KUIDFC for further process.

 

Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or utilized without risk of immediate or long term harm. Such water is commonly called potable water. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commercial establishments and industry is all of drinking water standard even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation (often 5% or even less).

 

Over large parts of the world, people drink water that contains disease vectors or pathogens or unacceptable levels of dissolved contaminants or solids in suspension. Such water is not potable water, and drinking such water or using them in cooking leads to widespread acute and chronic illness and is a major cause of death in many countries.

 

Typically, water supply networks deliver potable water, whether it is to be used for drinking, washing or landscape irrigation. One counter example is urban China, where drinking water can optionally be delivered by a separate tap. Where as in case of India, there must be obscure examples of taps which are supplying water especially for drinking purpose. In urban areas of India, water is drawn from the open well or bore well or canal or river or reservoir and is treated up to the potable limits then supplied through distribution networks of municipalities, by spending relatively huge amount. In many urban areas of Karnataka the water is so scarce & precious as it is drawn from very distant sources by utilizing enormous amount of energy (about 60% of water supply cost goes only to electricity!!) and supplied to consumer. Most of the cases the individual connections would not have the metering system hence the supply is not perfectly quantified. As the proper quantification is not done, revenue collection also suffers by not charging per unit (kilo liter) supply of water.

 

Now this is high time to take initiative in measuring and quantifying the amount of potable water supplied in municipal areas through distribution network and fix up the price for the same, which can meet the cost of operation and maintenance. This is attributed to achieve through strict ‘quantification of revenue & non-revenue water’ supplied in the system and reducing the system loss well below 15%. Directorate of Municipal administration (DMA), Govt. of Karnataka has taken an initiative in conducting a massive ‘Water Audit’ studies in 203 towns (10 Municipalities of KUDCEMP namely Mangalore, Udupi, Karwar, Sirsi, Dandeli, Ullala, Puttur, Kundapura, Bhatkal & Ankola have already adopted Water Auditing) of Karnataka in association with CMAK (City Managers’ Association Karnataka), based on the approved mechanism and hence brought out a manual for dissemination.