Drought-prone Tuljapur to get 24x7 water supply

AURANGABAD: The residents of drought-prone Tuljapur town in Osmanabad district can look forward to 24x7 water supply from next week, provided they install taps and meters.
“The administration already started a trial run of the scheme in around 10% of the areas two days ago, and the entire town will be covered in phases from February 8,” Ashok Sangle, in-charge of water supply department at Tuljapur municipal council, told TOI on Saturday.
Currently, the temple town, which goes parched every summer, receives alternate day water supply, that too for 45 minutes only.
“It is common practice to make maximum use of water released besides storing it for drinking and other purposes. The stored water is wasted when supply starts after a gap of one day. We believe that this wastage would come down automatically when meters are installed,” he said.
The municipal council has identified eight zones as per availability of overhead tanks to implement the scheme. “Residents will have to pay only Rs 7 per 1,000 litres of water with a minimum expected target of 135-litre per head per day. Commercial users will be charged Rs 14 per 1,000 litres. The water tariff thus is rationalised,” said Sangle.
Tuljapur draws water from Bori minor irrigation project, which is designed for live storage of 32.26 million cubic metres (mcum). The reservoir currently holds nearly 75% of live stock with no scarcity anticipated even in summer.
On an average, Osmanabad district receives 776.81 mm rainfall between June and October every year, which is less than the annual average rainfall (779 mm) recorded in the drought-prone Marathwada region.
Osmanabad district assistant collector Ayush Prasad said installation of taps and water meters has been made compulsory for every citizen in Tuljapur. “The concept of 24x7 water supply prompts fears of wastage, especially in drought-prone Marathwada region. However, the scheme we are introducing will actually help save water. We hope the scheme will promote judicious use of water and project the city as a role model for round-the-clock water supply,” he said.
A Tuljapur resident who benefited from the 24x7 water supply scheme during the trial run said the citizens are satisfied. “The water pressure is better now and we don’t have to use an electric motor. Since water is available all the time, the need for storage has come down. Most importantly, the metered supply has made citizens wary that they should not waste water,” said Panditrao Jagdale, who lives with his family of 10 members on the Osmanabad road.
The charges for installing a water meter are Rs 2,000 and most of the households are eager to avail of the facility, said Jagdale.
The earlier charges for water were a lump sum amount of Rs 75 per month. Around 5,189 citizens are registered as domestic users, and there are 39 commercial water connections with the Tuljapur municipal council.