Water supply: Govt. ready to rope in private sector

Sustainable mechanism planned for 24x7 supply, says Principal Secretary Karikal Valaven

CII Southern Region Water Taskforce chairman T.T. Ashok and Principal Secretary (MAUD) R. Karikal Valaven, and others at a meeting in Vijayawada on Friday.

Andhra Pradesh Government’s Principal Secretary (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) R. Karikal Valaven said efforts were being made to put in place a sustainable mechanism for supplying water 24x7 to every household.

The state has a water policy drafted under the guidance of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, he said.

Water could be supplied only on alternate days in 21 towns out of 110 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) last summer and the number had come down to five this season due to temporary measures.

“The government is working on sustainability and is willing to work with the private sector to achieve the goal,” he said.

Participating as the special guest in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - Southern Region (SR) Summit on Secure and Sustainable Water for All – Water South – here on Friday, Mr. Valaven said water conservation should be the priority these days as it was a precious natural resource that could not be wasted to the detriment of future generations.

Though San Francisco was capable of supplying 185 litres per capita daily (LPCD) the consumption was brought down to 165 LPCD in view of its importance for future use.

The Indian benchmark was 135 LPCD and it ranged from 90 to 110 LPCD in Andhra Pradesh. The situation was bad in some rural areas where the supply fell to as low as 40 LPCD. On the other side, 1,200 million litres per day of used water were being generated in A.P. and only about half of that could be treated. The government, therefore, accorded the priority it (used water treatment) deserved.

Cost-effective solutions

In view of the complexity of the challenges, Mr. Valaven said the government was eager to work more aggressively with the private sector to find solutions that were sustainable and cost-effective, he added.

CII-SR Chairman Vikram Kirloskar said the emerging challenge for both the governments and industry was to play an appropriate role in conserving water, checking unbridled exploitation and contamination of fresh water resources. He mentioned about the Water Alliance that the CII-Southern Region was championing to collectively overcome the crisis.

CII-SR Water Taskforce Chairman T.T. Ashok and CII A.P. Chairman J.S.R.K. Prasad were among those present.