Unauthorised water supply drained Kochi Corporation’s resources, say auditors

Civic body spent ₹2.32 crore for programme after expiry of contract

The Kochi Corporation should install water kiosks and make use of Jal Jeevan Mission projects rather than banking on the supply of water through tanker lorries, says the audit report. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The high expenses incurred by way of “illegal supply” of drinking water have drained the Kochi Corporation of valuable resources, the State auditors have said.

The audit report for the period 2020-2021 has found fault with the high cost incurred by the civic body over and above the ceiling fixed for the purpose. The State auditors were also critical of what they described as the unaccounted and illegal ways of water distribution.

Even after the expiry of the contract for the supply of drinking water on December 28, 2020, the civic body spent ₹2.32 crore for the programme till January 2, 2022, without inviting new bids for the supply of water or entering into a supplementary contract with the contractor. The Corporation could not explain the circumstances under which the contractor was allowed to continue with the project even after the expiry of the contract, it noted.

There was no effective system for monitoring the supply of drinking water in the city. Though it was specified that the vehicles involved in the supply of potable water should be tracked using GPS and logbooks should be maintained in the vehicles, which was a prerequisite for clearing the bills, no such system was in place, it was pointed out.

The civic body should install water kiosks and make use of the drinking water projects envisioned under the Jal Jeevan Mission rather than permanently banking on the supply of water through lorries, the report has suggested.

Though the illegality in the drinking water distribution programme was flagged in the audit report for the year 2018-19, it continued in the next fiscal, the report stated.