The Kumbalanghi grama panchayat is all set to acquire ‘arrear-free zone’ status in water charges.
The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is considering making the panchayat an arrear-free zone as records show arrears of only Rs.1.5 lakh.
There are 3,118 domestic and 41 non-domestic water connections, and the panchayat has so far paid dues pertaining to public taps.
The panchayat and the KWA now will conduct the site verification of all public taps.
57 consumers
Of the total arrears, there are 57 consumers who have dues of over Rs.1,000, while the rest of the dues could be against over five consumers who have arrears of above Rs.5,000. According to a senior KWA official, it is the first time in the State that a zone or a local body area has almost all the metres functioning.
Incidentally, the KWA has much work to do to get more water for the area since the supply is slightly short of demand, the official said.
The panchayat requires around 5 million litres of water a day (mld), but the KWA provides just over 4 mld.
Networks
The distribution network also has to be revamped as the pipelines cannot take the extra pumping pressure.
The KWA is also working on providing more connections, the official said.
The grama panchayat at present has arrears of only Rs.1.5 lakh in charges payable to KWA
