To,
Sri Tejendra Khanna,
Hon'ble Lt Governor
DELHI
Respected Sir,
Greetings for the 60th anniversary of the nation's REPUBLIC DAY from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan.
Sir, apropos the news item published in today's (26 Jan 10) Indian Express, informing about the Yamuna river bed plans, we take pleasure in complimenting your honour in taking a firm stand on the question of ill conceived channelisation plans a la river Thames and Danube in Europe, as also the fact that having already lost around 3000 ha of the 9700 ha of the river bed/flood plain to hare-brained schemes, the city can ill afford to lose any more to concretisation and non river friendly activities. Also in firmly turning down fancy plans like the Formula One racing track in the river bed/flood plain.
While we fully endorse your plans to make the river accessible to people in the city and the visitors to it (so that a greater sense of ownership and realisation of the importance of the river dawns on them), we suggest that DDA may be advised suitably by your honour to make its future plans for the river bed public in its entirety before finalisation and invite comments and suggestions on any new activity (san concretisation) in the name of recreation promotion planned in the river bed/flood plains. In addition, we request once again that the entire Zone O (river zone) under the MPD 2021 be legally protected (under Environment Protection Act, 1986) to guard against any future threats to it.
Sir, it is also urgent that a political process be initiated for a time bound dialogue with Haryana and UP to ensure a steady and adequate flow in the river, round the year, which is sine qua non for its revival.
With warm regards,
Manoj Misra
Convener
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Rivers in western Uttar Pradesh dangerously polluted (Sun, Jan 24 2010)
Meerut, Jan 24 (IANS) Six rivers in western Uttar Pradesh, including the Yamuna, are now so polluted that they should be classified as dead, says a new study.
The study, carried out by local NGO Neer Foundation as part of a project of the World Water Monitoring Day Organisation, found that six of the rivers they checked were so heavily polluted that no life could exist in them, and they were dangerous even to bathe in.
The World Water Monitoring Day Organisation has been set up by the World Environment Federation of the US and the International Water Association of the Netherlands. The two agencies are carrying out water purity surveys in rivers across the world. The project started in 2007 and is likely to end by 2012.
The study in India was helped by several thousand children from 800 schools across western Uttar Pradesh.
The project's coordinator, Raman Tyagi of Neer Foundation, said the condition of the six rivers was 'deadly alarming'.
Apart from the Yamuna, the rivers are Hindon, Krishni, Kali East, Kali West and Dhamola.
The study was conducted in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar, Etah, Aligarh and Agra districts.
'We had collected more than 70 samples between June and November 2009 from rivers at various places. The results were deadly alarming and eye-opening and we never expected that the pollution would rise that much,' Tyagi said.
The samples were checked for turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and degree of acidity (pH value).
Turbidity -- that indicates the lack of clarity of water -- was found to be around 100 Jackson Turbidity Units (JTU) in these rivers. The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) says a turbidity level above 40 JTU is dangerous.
In many places, the water had no dissolved oxygen at all, so no life could exist there and the river was effectively dead, the study found.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says dissolved oxygen level in river water should be at least eight parts per million.
The water was found to be highly alkaline, with a pH value between 9-10. A pH value of 7 indicates the water is neutral, and the US EPA says the pH of river water should be between 6.5 and 7.5.
'The temperature of the water in these rivers was also found to be very high. The US and Dutch agencies were shocked to learn of such high values in our rivers. The clarity of water at most of these places was almost zero,' Tyagi said.
'There were large quantities of industrial and toxic waste from chemical, paper and other factories, and that was why the dissolved oxygen level was zero. Aquatic life in these rivers is dying.'
The Hindon river is a 260-km-long tributary of the Yamuna; it starts in Saharanpur. The Krishni, about 78 km long, also starts in Saharanpur and flows till Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. The Kali East rises in Muzaffarnagar and flows 300 km before ending in Kannauj. The Kali West flows from Saharanpur and ends in Meerut after flowing for 75 km. The 52-km-long Dhamola river flows mostly in Saharanpur district.
(S.P. Singh can be contacted at spsinghg@gmail.com)
The study, carried out by local NGO Neer Foundation as part of a project of the World Water Monitoring Day Organisation, found that six of the rivers they checked were so heavily polluted that no life could exist in them, and they were dangerous even to bathe in.
The World Water Monitoring Day Organisation has been set up by the World Environment Federation of the US and the International Water Association of the Netherlands. The two agencies are carrying out water purity surveys in rivers across the world. The project started in 2007 and is likely to end by 2012.
The study in India was helped by several thousand children from 800 schools across western Uttar Pradesh.
The project's coordinator, Raman Tyagi of Neer Foundation, said the condition of the six rivers was 'deadly alarming'.
Apart from the Yamuna, the rivers are Hindon, Krishni, Kali East, Kali West and Dhamola.
The study was conducted in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar, Etah, Aligarh and Agra districts.
'We had collected more than 70 samples between June and November 2009 from rivers at various places. The results were deadly alarming and eye-opening and we never expected that the pollution would rise that much,' Tyagi said.
The samples were checked for turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and degree of acidity (pH value).
Turbidity -- that indicates the lack of clarity of water -- was found to be around 100 Jackson Turbidity Units (JTU) in these rivers. The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) says a turbidity level above 40 JTU is dangerous.
In many places, the water had no dissolved oxygen at all, so no life could exist there and the river was effectively dead, the study found.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says dissolved oxygen level in river water should be at least eight parts per million.
The water was found to be highly alkaline, with a pH value between 9-10. A pH value of 7 indicates the water is neutral, and the US EPA says the pH of river water should be between 6.5 and 7.5.
'The temperature of the water in these rivers was also found to be very high. The US and Dutch agencies were shocked to learn of such high values in our rivers. The clarity of water at most of these places was almost zero,' Tyagi said.
'There were large quantities of industrial and toxic waste from chemical, paper and other factories, and that was why the dissolved oxygen level was zero. Aquatic life in these rivers is dying.'
The Hindon river is a 260-km-long tributary of the Yamuna; it starts in Saharanpur. The Krishni, about 78 km long, also starts in Saharanpur and flows till Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. The Kali East rises in Muzaffarnagar and flows 300 km before ending in Kannauj. The Kali West flows from Saharanpur and ends in Meerut after flowing for 75 km. The 52-km-long Dhamola river flows mostly in Saharanpur district.
(S.P. Singh can be contacted at spsinghg@gmail.com)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
गेम्स के दौरान यमुना छुपाओगे? ( Nav Bharat Times- 23 Jan. 2010)
नई दिल्ली ।।
यमुना की दुर्दशा के मद्देनजर खेल मंत्री एम. एस. गिल ने शुक्रवार को हैरत जताते हुए कहा कि कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स के दौरान क्या अधिकारी विदेशी लोगों को नदी के नजदीक जाने से रोकेंगे! उन्होंने कहा कि नाले में तब्दील हो चुकी यमुना आज एक 'हॉरर' है।
उद्योग संगठन एसोचैम ने 'ब्रैंड: कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स दिल्ली 2010' इवेंट का आयोजन किया था। इस मौके पर खेल मंत्री ने कहा कि यमुना काफी प्रदूषित हो चुकी है, सो यह मुमकिन है कि हमें सभी विदेशी विजिटर्स को नदी के नजदीक जाने से रोकना पड़े। गिल ने ध्यान दिलाया कि नदी को साफ करने की सारी कोशिशें बेकार साबित हुई हैं। एक तरफ तो हम यमुना जैसी नदियों को धार्मिक प्रतीक के तौर पर देखते हैं, दूसरी तरफ हम शहर के ड्रेनेज के तौर पर उसका इस्तेमाल करते हैं। यमुना अब एक हॉरर है और हैरत है कि हम अब भी उससे धार्मिक रिश्ता जोड़े हुए हैं। हम अपने धार्मिक प्रतीकों को बचाने के लिए बहुत कम काम कर रहे हैं।
गिल ने कहा कि करीब 10 हजार एथलीट और लाखों टूरिस्ट कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स के दौरान दिल्ली आएंगे, ऐसी उम्मीद की जाती है। हमें एक अच्छा मेजबान बनना चाहिए और यह दिखाना चाहिए कि शहर की बेहतरीन चीजें सामने आएं। गिल ने निराशा जताई कि इंडस्ट्री भी नदी में सीवेज का डिस्चार्ज रोकने में नाकाम है, जबकि यमुना को साफ रखने में उद्योगों को भी भूमिका निभानी होगी।
यमुना की सफाई पर बहा पैसा
यमुना एक्शन प्लान -1 (1993-2003)
कुल खर्च - 680 करोड़ रुपये
यमुना एक्शन प्लान -2 (2004 के बाद)
तय राशि - 624 करोड़ रुपये
जल बोर्ड का खर्च (कैग रिपोर्ट)
1998-99 में 285 करोड़ रुपये
1999-2004 में 439 करोड़ रुपये
यमुना की सफाई पर डीएसआईडीसी ने किया खर्च -147 करोड़ रुपये
यमुना एक नजर में -
-दिल्ली में इसका प्रवेश पल्ला गांव से शुरू होता है और साउथ में जैतपुर गांव के पास से गुजरकर यह दोबारा हरियाणा में प्रवेश कर जाती है।
- दिल्ली में इसकी लंबाई करीब 50 किलोमीटर है। पल्ला से वजीराबाद बैराज तक प्रदूषण न के बराबर है, लेकिन उसके बाद जैतपुर तक 25 किलोमीटर में इसका प्रदूषण स्तर काफी गंभीर है।
- दिल्ली में यमुना का दायरा 97 वर्ग किलोमीटर है जिसमें से 16.45 वर्ग किलोमीटर पानी में है जबकि 80.55 वर्ग किलोमीटर के इलाके में पानी नहीं होता।
- यमुना की अधिकतर चौड़ाई डेढ़ से तीन किलोमीटर है।
- यमुना में 17 बड़े नाले गिरते हैं जिनमें से नजफगढ़ नाला सबसे बड़ा और सबसे अधिक प्रदूषित है। इस नाले में शहरी क्षेत्र के 38 और ग्रामीण इलाकों के तीन नाले गिरते हैं।
- राजधानी में यमुना नदी के ऊपर से सात पुल गुजरते हैं जिनमें वजीराबाद, कश्मीरी गेट बस अड्डा, पुराना यमुना पुल, आईटीओ, निजामुद्दीन, टोल ब्रिज और ओखला शामिल हैं।
- यमुना में तीन बांध बने हुए है जिनमें वजीराबाद, आईटीओ और ओखला शामिल है।
यमुना की दुर्दशा के मद्देनजर खेल मंत्री एम. एस. गिल ने शुक्रवार को हैरत जताते हुए कहा कि कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स के दौरान क्या अधिकारी विदेशी लोगों को नदी के नजदीक जाने से रोकेंगे! उन्होंने कहा कि नाले में तब्दील हो चुकी यमुना आज एक 'हॉरर' है।
उद्योग संगठन एसोचैम ने 'ब्रैंड: कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स दिल्ली 2010' इवेंट का आयोजन किया था। इस मौके पर खेल मंत्री ने कहा कि यमुना काफी प्रदूषित हो चुकी है, सो यह मुमकिन है कि हमें सभी विदेशी विजिटर्स को नदी के नजदीक जाने से रोकना पड़े। गिल ने ध्यान दिलाया कि नदी को साफ करने की सारी कोशिशें बेकार साबित हुई हैं। एक तरफ तो हम यमुना जैसी नदियों को धार्मिक प्रतीक के तौर पर देखते हैं, दूसरी तरफ हम शहर के ड्रेनेज के तौर पर उसका इस्तेमाल करते हैं। यमुना अब एक हॉरर है और हैरत है कि हम अब भी उससे धार्मिक रिश्ता जोड़े हुए हैं। हम अपने धार्मिक प्रतीकों को बचाने के लिए बहुत कम काम कर रहे हैं।
गिल ने कहा कि करीब 10 हजार एथलीट और लाखों टूरिस्ट कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स के दौरान दिल्ली आएंगे, ऐसी उम्मीद की जाती है। हमें एक अच्छा मेजबान बनना चाहिए और यह दिखाना चाहिए कि शहर की बेहतरीन चीजें सामने आएं। गिल ने निराशा जताई कि इंडस्ट्री भी नदी में सीवेज का डिस्चार्ज रोकने में नाकाम है, जबकि यमुना को साफ रखने में उद्योगों को भी भूमिका निभानी होगी।
यमुना की सफाई पर बहा पैसा
यमुना एक्शन प्लान -1 (1993-2003)
कुल खर्च - 680 करोड़ रुपये
यमुना एक्शन प्लान -2 (2004 के बाद)
तय राशि - 624 करोड़ रुपये
जल बोर्ड का खर्च (कैग रिपोर्ट)
1998-99 में 285 करोड़ रुपये
1999-2004 में 439 करोड़ रुपये
यमुना की सफाई पर डीएसआईडीसी ने किया खर्च -147 करोड़ रुपये
यमुना एक नजर में -
-दिल्ली में इसका प्रवेश पल्ला गांव से शुरू होता है और साउथ में जैतपुर गांव के पास से गुजरकर यह दोबारा हरियाणा में प्रवेश कर जाती है।
- दिल्ली में इसकी लंबाई करीब 50 किलोमीटर है। पल्ला से वजीराबाद बैराज तक प्रदूषण न के बराबर है, लेकिन उसके बाद जैतपुर तक 25 किलोमीटर में इसका प्रदूषण स्तर काफी गंभीर है।
- दिल्ली में यमुना का दायरा 97 वर्ग किलोमीटर है जिसमें से 16.45 वर्ग किलोमीटर पानी में है जबकि 80.55 वर्ग किलोमीटर के इलाके में पानी नहीं होता।
- यमुना की अधिकतर चौड़ाई डेढ़ से तीन किलोमीटर है।
- यमुना में 17 बड़े नाले गिरते हैं जिनमें से नजफगढ़ नाला सबसे बड़ा और सबसे अधिक प्रदूषित है। इस नाले में शहरी क्षेत्र के 38 और ग्रामीण इलाकों के तीन नाले गिरते हैं।
- राजधानी में यमुना नदी के ऊपर से सात पुल गुजरते हैं जिनमें वजीराबाद, कश्मीरी गेट बस अड्डा, पुराना यमुना पुल, आईटीओ, निजामुद्दीन, टोल ब्रिज और ओखला शामिल हैं।
- यमुना में तीन बांध बने हुए है जिनमें वजीराबाद, आईटीओ और ओखला शामिल है।
Funds for interceptor project sanctioned (The Hindu- 27 Jan. 2010)
Staff Reporter
Sewer project to clean up the Yamuna will take four years to complete
The interceptors will catch all the sewage that flows from the city into the river
‘With Rs.1,260 crore sanctioned, remaining money will be raised by the Delhi Government’
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board’s ambitious interceptor sewer project to clean up the Yamuna has moved a step closer towards realisation. The project that was hanging fire for lack of funds was sanctioned money by the Expenditure Finance Committee of the Union Finance Ministry this past week. The EFC, which met on January 21, has agreed to sanction Rs.460 crore towards the project for setting up interceptor under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and a loan of Rs.800 crore has been sanctioned by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). The project that will take four years to complete requires about Rs.1,700 crore. According to sources, with Rs.1,260 crore sanctioned, the remaining money will be raised by the Delhi Government. “If the money is sanctioned in time and the tendering process is complete by February, work on the project can start by June. It will take about four years to complete,” say sources.
The project envisages making the Yamuna a zero-sewage zone. The interceptors will catch all the sewage that flows from the city into the river. Sewage from 18 big drains across the city in the absence of an interceptor flow into the Yamuna. The Jal Board hopes to change that with the proposed project where filth and sewage will be intercepted and treated before releasing it into the river.
“All the sewage from the minor drains will be tapped into the three major drains -- Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahdara -- and then will be treated before being discharged into the Yamuna,” said sources.
Even as the Delhi Jal Board has been touting the project as an effective means to curb pollution in the Yamuna, the Centre for Science and Environment has petitioned the Supreme Court against the project. In its report on “Sewage Canal: How to clean the Yamuna”, the CSE has claimed a “paradigm shift is needed in the approach to clean the river”. The CSE case in the Supreme Court objecting to the interceptor sewers system is coming up for hearing this Wednesday.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Sewer project to clean up the Yamuna will take four years to complete
The interceptors will catch all the sewage that flows from the city into the river
‘With Rs.1,260 crore sanctioned, remaining money will be raised by the Delhi Government’
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board’s ambitious interceptor sewer project to clean up the Yamuna has moved a step closer towards realisation. The project that was hanging fire for lack of funds was sanctioned money by the Expenditure Finance Committee of the Union Finance Ministry this past week. The EFC, which met on January 21, has agreed to sanction Rs.460 crore towards the project for setting up interceptor under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and a loan of Rs.800 crore has been sanctioned by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). The project that will take four years to complete requires about Rs.1,700 crore. According to sources, with Rs.1,260 crore sanctioned, the remaining money will be raised by the Delhi Government. “If the money is sanctioned in time and the tendering process is complete by February, work on the project can start by June. It will take about four years to complete,” say sources.
The project envisages making the Yamuna a zero-sewage zone. The interceptors will catch all the sewage that flows from the city into the river. Sewage from 18 big drains across the city in the absence of an interceptor flow into the Yamuna. The Jal Board hopes to change that with the proposed project where filth and sewage will be intercepted and treated before releasing it into the river.
“All the sewage from the minor drains will be tapped into the three major drains -- Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahdara -- and then will be treated before being discharged into the Yamuna,” said sources.
Even as the Delhi Jal Board has been touting the project as an effective means to curb pollution in the Yamuna, the Centre for Science and Environment has petitioned the Supreme Court against the project. In its report on “Sewage Canal: How to clean the Yamuna”, the CSE has claimed a “paradigm shift is needed in the approach to clean the river”. The CSE case in the Supreme Court objecting to the interceptor sewers system is coming up for hearing this Wednesday.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Steady supply (Indian Express/ The Op-Ed Page - 27 Jan. 2010)
Isher Judge Ahluwalia Posted online: Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 at 0305 hrs
The water scenario in three cities of Karnataka, i.e., Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum and Gulbarga was not very different from that in most other cities of India until recently. Water was available for 1 to 2 hours every 5 days or so, covering only 50 per cent of the population. Since all households did not have individual meters, a fixed rate of Rs. 90 per month was charged to all residents. The richer households met their additional water needs by buying water from tankers at a price of Rs.150 per tanker. Others would invest in storage tanks and electric pumps to make the most when water would flow. The poorer households would line up for hours on the day water would come through the pipes and would therefore miss reporting for work and forego their wages for the day. Today 25,000 individual households or almost 2 lakh residents enjoy the benefits of 24x7 water supply with a world class water distribution system.
This is the result of a pilot project with public-private partnership covering the three cities and costing Rs 237 crore over a period of 5 years. The pilot covers approximately 10 per cent of the population of these cities, which now has access to 24 x 7 water at a cost which is lower than what they paid for earlier, especially when account is taken of the payments for private supplies and loss of wages incurred while queueing up to get public supply of water. All property connections are metered and computerised records are maintained. Average monthly water bills range from Rs. 80 to Rs. 150 depending on consumption. Customer service centres operate 24x7 to address customer complaints and queries. With this pilot, the Karnataka Urban Water Sector Improvement Project (KUWASIP) has successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of providing water round the clock to all the residents of the pilot project area. Fittingly, the project received the National Urban Water Award for public private partnership from the President of India on August 13, 2009.
Arvind Shrivastava, managing director of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, pointed out to us that in Gulbarga for the first six months, customers received their bills, based on actual consumption, but had only to pay the old fixed charge. After seeing that the new charges were mostly lower than earlier, the customers willingly switched to the new system of consumption-based payments.
The project focused on (i) physical investments in the system, and (ii) strengthening of institutions for service delivery. The latter, which in many ways is crucial, meant improving information systems, benchmarking services, pricing services to recover the cost of operations and management, and putting in place other measures designed to improve the performance of the public sector. The reforms covered the municipal corporations, the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), and the Karnataka Urban Infrastruture Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC).
The role of the private operator, a French water company, Veolia Water, was to develop an investment programme to refurbish and transform the existing system and to implement the programme. The private sector involvement revolved around single accountability, with a review of the existing systems, data validation, system design, network revamp, and operations & maintenance — all handled by a single party. This was tied into a performance-based contract with stringent performance requirements and payments linked to achievement of the targets. The management fee of Rs. 22 crore to the private operator had a fixed component of 60 per cent, while the remaining 40 per cent was linked to performance. The contract also included a maximum bonus of Rs. 5.6 crore and a penalty of up to 10 per cent in case of failure to meet the performance targets. In the event, “all performance targets were met”, said a beaming Mr K.A. Joseph, regional director of the private company.
The operator was responsible for providing 100 per cent customer connections as well as billing. Actual collections remained with the corporations. Providing adequate bulk water to the private operator was the responsibility of the KUWSDB. The project has comprehensively proved wrong the perception that 24x7 requires more bulk water. Against the 135 lpcd assumed for the project, average water consumption is actually 100 lpcd. The funding for the project came from the World Bank (77 per cent) and the Government of Karnataka (23 per cent).
The project protects the interests of the poor through a cross-subsidy in the tariff structure such that a minimum lifeline supply of 8,000 litres per household is provided at a subsidised rate for the poor, and connection charges are also waived. Not having to store water in large containers means that household space is freed up. Improved water quality has also meant less spending on medicines for water-borne diseases. For example, cases of diarrhea and dysentery at the Belgaum Corporation Maternity Hospital dropped from 402 during the fiscal year 2005-06 to 177 during the fiscal year 2008-09.
A touching revelation during our interaction with the women in the slum area of Madhavpur in Hubli-Dharwad was the enthusiasm of the women for the project. When a politically motivated man tried to intervene by saying that 24x7 water is good but it should be made available cheaper and that women did not realise the value of money since they do not earn, the women protested by saying, first, that they were also earning wages and then, “what would men know about the inconvenience of bringing water from distant locations?” Their empowerment was writ large on their faces.
The political will at the level of the urban local body was evident in our discussion with the corporators. So was the effort at social intermediation. Mr P.S. Vastrad,
municipal commissioner, Hubli-Dharwad, highlighted the importance of involving the local NGOs who took the message of the benefits of the programme to the communities.
Much to the delight of the residents in other areas of the cities which were not covered in the pilot project, the Government of Karnataka has approved the up-scaling of the project to the entire population of the three corporations within the framework of public-private partnership. If three cities in Karnataka have shown that 24x7 water is
indeed deliverable, should other cities and other states of India be far behind?
Isher Judge Ahluwalia is the chairperson of ICRIER and chair of the High Powered Expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure. Ranesh Nair is a consultant to the committee. Views are personal
The water scenario in three cities of Karnataka, i.e., Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum and Gulbarga was not very different from that in most other cities of India until recently. Water was available for 1 to 2 hours every 5 days or so, covering only 50 per cent of the population. Since all households did not have individual meters, a fixed rate of Rs. 90 per month was charged to all residents. The richer households met their additional water needs by buying water from tankers at a price of Rs.150 per tanker. Others would invest in storage tanks and electric pumps to make the most when water would flow. The poorer households would line up for hours on the day water would come through the pipes and would therefore miss reporting for work and forego their wages for the day. Today 25,000 individual households or almost 2 lakh residents enjoy the benefits of 24x7 water supply with a world class water distribution system.
This is the result of a pilot project with public-private partnership covering the three cities and costing Rs 237 crore over a period of 5 years. The pilot covers approximately 10 per cent of the population of these cities, which now has access to 24 x 7 water at a cost which is lower than what they paid for earlier, especially when account is taken of the payments for private supplies and loss of wages incurred while queueing up to get public supply of water. All property connections are metered and computerised records are maintained. Average monthly water bills range from Rs. 80 to Rs. 150 depending on consumption. Customer service centres operate 24x7 to address customer complaints and queries. With this pilot, the Karnataka Urban Water Sector Improvement Project (KUWASIP) has successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of providing water round the clock to all the residents of the pilot project area. Fittingly, the project received the National Urban Water Award for public private partnership from the President of India on August 13, 2009.
Arvind Shrivastava, managing director of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, pointed out to us that in Gulbarga for the first six months, customers received their bills, based on actual consumption, but had only to pay the old fixed charge. After seeing that the new charges were mostly lower than earlier, the customers willingly switched to the new system of consumption-based payments.
The project focused on (i) physical investments in the system, and (ii) strengthening of institutions for service delivery. The latter, which in many ways is crucial, meant improving information systems, benchmarking services, pricing services to recover the cost of operations and management, and putting in place other measures designed to improve the performance of the public sector. The reforms covered the municipal corporations, the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), and the Karnataka Urban Infrastruture Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC).
The role of the private operator, a French water company, Veolia Water, was to develop an investment programme to refurbish and transform the existing system and to implement the programme. The private sector involvement revolved around single accountability, with a review of the existing systems, data validation, system design, network revamp, and operations & maintenance — all handled by a single party. This was tied into a performance-based contract with stringent performance requirements and payments linked to achievement of the targets. The management fee of Rs. 22 crore to the private operator had a fixed component of 60 per cent, while the remaining 40 per cent was linked to performance. The contract also included a maximum bonus of Rs. 5.6 crore and a penalty of up to 10 per cent in case of failure to meet the performance targets. In the event, “all performance targets were met”, said a beaming Mr K.A. Joseph, regional director of the private company.
The operator was responsible for providing 100 per cent customer connections as well as billing. Actual collections remained with the corporations. Providing adequate bulk water to the private operator was the responsibility of the KUWSDB. The project has comprehensively proved wrong the perception that 24x7 requires more bulk water. Against the 135 lpcd assumed for the project, average water consumption is actually 100 lpcd. The funding for the project came from the World Bank (77 per cent) and the Government of Karnataka (23 per cent).
The project protects the interests of the poor through a cross-subsidy in the tariff structure such that a minimum lifeline supply of 8,000 litres per household is provided at a subsidised rate for the poor, and connection charges are also waived. Not having to store water in large containers means that household space is freed up. Improved water quality has also meant less spending on medicines for water-borne diseases. For example, cases of diarrhea and dysentery at the Belgaum Corporation Maternity Hospital dropped from 402 during the fiscal year 2005-06 to 177 during the fiscal year 2008-09.
A touching revelation during our interaction with the women in the slum area of Madhavpur in Hubli-Dharwad was the enthusiasm of the women for the project. When a politically motivated man tried to intervene by saying that 24x7 water is good but it should be made available cheaper and that women did not realise the value of money since they do not earn, the women protested by saying, first, that they were also earning wages and then, “what would men know about the inconvenience of bringing water from distant locations?” Their empowerment was writ large on their faces.
The political will at the level of the urban local body was evident in our discussion with the corporators. So was the effort at social intermediation. Mr P.S. Vastrad,
municipal commissioner, Hubli-Dharwad, highlighted the importance of involving the local NGOs who took the message of the benefits of the programme to the communities.
Much to the delight of the residents in other areas of the cities which were not covered in the pilot project, the Government of Karnataka has approved the up-scaling of the project to the entire population of the three corporations within the framework of public-private partnership. If three cities in Karnataka have shown that 24x7 water is
indeed deliverable, should other cities and other states of India be far behind?
Isher Judge Ahluwalia is the chairperson of ICRIER and chair of the High Powered Expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure. Ranesh Nair is a consultant to the committee. Views are personal
Towards sustainable water management ( The Hindu. News Analysis/Opinion- 25 Jan. 2010)
T.N. Narasimhan
An international private-social group foresees India’s water demand exceeding availability by a factor of two by 2030. Time is now for India to take on the daunting task of formulating a unifying national water policy.
The 2030 Water Resources Group is a consortium of private-social sector organisations formed in 2008 to provide insights into emerging world-wide water issues. In a report, “Charting our water future” issued in 2009, the group provides a candid, fact-based integrated assessment of the global water situation over the next two decades.
Globally, current withdrawals of about 4,500 cubic km exceed the availability of about 4,200 cubic km. By 2030, the demand is expected to increase to about 6,900 cubic km, with a slight drop in availability to 4,100 cubic km. Thus, by 2030, a global deficit of 40 per cent is forecast. For India, the annual demand is expected to increase to almost 1,500 cubic km, against a projected availability of 744 cubic km; a deficit of 50 per cent. The report admits unavoidable uncertainties in these estimates. As an independent check, an alternative perspective merits consideration.
India’s average annual precipitation is about 1,170 mm, and the land area is 3.28 million sq. km. Thus, the volume of annual precipitation input is 3,840 cubic km. The projected availability of 744 cubic km constitutes about 19 per cent of this amount. In comparison, California, known for its spectacular hydraulic-engineering structures, diverts about 18 per cent of its annual rainfall. For a variety of reasons, California is already contemplating a 20 per cent reduction in water use over the coming decade. Conservatively, if we assume that India may harness 15 per cent of rainfall with careful management, an annual availability of about 600 cubic km is perhaps a reasonable figure to comprehend the scope of India’s water crisis.
Looking to the future, the report stresses that closing the gap between supply and demand will be very difficult. Rather than claiming to provide solutions to all water problems, the authors cautiously consider the report a starting point for meaningful dialogue among all stakeholders for action towards credible solutions. In this spirit, we may examine the implications of their findings to India’s water situation.
In the broadest sense, two questions arise: What do the findings portend for India’s economic growth? How should India respond to the impending crisis?
Concerning economic growth, even a modest 6 per cent annual growth implies a real tripling of the economy by 2030. Is this achievable, if the annual availability is limited to about 600 cubic km? What rate of economic growth should India reasonably plan for?
The question how India should respond is of fundamental importance. India’s greatest challenge is to set in place an equitable, efficient system of governance for sharing a finite resource among all segments of society, simultaneously preserving the integrity of the resource for future generations.
At the time of independence, the annual availability of water in abundant quantities was taken for granted, and India’s Constitution declared water to be a State subject, with the Union government playing a role in inter-State issues. The Constitution does not explicitly recognise water’s unique attributes as a finite resource, widely variable in space and time, and vital for the sustenance of all living things.
At the beginning of the 21st century, when confronted with the imperative of sharing this vital resource among all segments of society according to the values of justice and equality assured in the preamble, one finds a conspicuous lack of philosophical authority necessary to make decisions on the allocation, prioritisation, protection, regulation, and management of water resources. This want of a philosophical basis is manifest in a lack of a national water policy. If so, what might be an appropriate philosophical approach?
India is about as large as Europe without Russia. Both have long histories of human habitation. India comprises 28 States and 7 Union Territories. Europe is a union of 27 independent nations. In 2000, the European Union issued the far-reaching Water Framework Directive with the goal of achieving sustainable management of water. The Directive requires all member-states to establish water laws conforming to common hydrological principles applied over river basins, with the active participation of citizens. The Directive’s philosophical foundation is set forth in the preamble: “Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.”
In 1976, a committee on Earth Resources, Time, and Man of the International Union of Geological Sciences observed: “Mankind is on the threshold of a transition from a brief interlude of exponential growth to a much longer period characterised by rates of change so slow as to be regarded essentially as a period of non-growth. Although the impending period of transition to very low growth rates poses no insuperable physical or biological difficulties, those aspects of our current economic and social thinking which are based on the premise that current rates of growth can be sustained indefinitely must be revised. Failing to respond promptly and rationally to these impending changes could lead to a global ecological crisis in which human beings will be the main victims.” This observation clearly anticipates the findings of the 2030 Water Resources Group.
Even with the best available technologies, the finiteness and unpredictable variability of water resource systems place severe limits on human aspirations for prosperity. At present, India is in a difficult position of not only accepting this reality but also having to take concrete steps to adapting to the reality.
A related development. A November 2009 report, “A framework for India’s water policy” of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, discusses India’s water endowments and the human challenges confronting sustainable water management.
(T.N. Narasimhan is in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley. tnnarasimhan@LBL.gov)
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
An international private-social group foresees India’s water demand exceeding availability by a factor of two by 2030. Time is now for India to take on the daunting task of formulating a unifying national water policy.
The 2030 Water Resources Group is a consortium of private-social sector organisations formed in 2008 to provide insights into emerging world-wide water issues. In a report, “Charting our water future” issued in 2009, the group provides a candid, fact-based integrated assessment of the global water situation over the next two decades.
Globally, current withdrawals of about 4,500 cubic km exceed the availability of about 4,200 cubic km. By 2030, the demand is expected to increase to about 6,900 cubic km, with a slight drop in availability to 4,100 cubic km. Thus, by 2030, a global deficit of 40 per cent is forecast. For India, the annual demand is expected to increase to almost 1,500 cubic km, against a projected availability of 744 cubic km; a deficit of 50 per cent. The report admits unavoidable uncertainties in these estimates. As an independent check, an alternative perspective merits consideration.
India’s average annual precipitation is about 1,170 mm, and the land area is 3.28 million sq. km. Thus, the volume of annual precipitation input is 3,840 cubic km. The projected availability of 744 cubic km constitutes about 19 per cent of this amount. In comparison, California, known for its spectacular hydraulic-engineering structures, diverts about 18 per cent of its annual rainfall. For a variety of reasons, California is already contemplating a 20 per cent reduction in water use over the coming decade. Conservatively, if we assume that India may harness 15 per cent of rainfall with careful management, an annual availability of about 600 cubic km is perhaps a reasonable figure to comprehend the scope of India’s water crisis.
Looking to the future, the report stresses that closing the gap between supply and demand will be very difficult. Rather than claiming to provide solutions to all water problems, the authors cautiously consider the report a starting point for meaningful dialogue among all stakeholders for action towards credible solutions. In this spirit, we may examine the implications of their findings to India’s water situation.
In the broadest sense, two questions arise: What do the findings portend for India’s economic growth? How should India respond to the impending crisis?
Concerning economic growth, even a modest 6 per cent annual growth implies a real tripling of the economy by 2030. Is this achievable, if the annual availability is limited to about 600 cubic km? What rate of economic growth should India reasonably plan for?
The question how India should respond is of fundamental importance. India’s greatest challenge is to set in place an equitable, efficient system of governance for sharing a finite resource among all segments of society, simultaneously preserving the integrity of the resource for future generations.
At the time of independence, the annual availability of water in abundant quantities was taken for granted, and India’s Constitution declared water to be a State subject, with the Union government playing a role in inter-State issues. The Constitution does not explicitly recognise water’s unique attributes as a finite resource, widely variable in space and time, and vital for the sustenance of all living things.
At the beginning of the 21st century, when confronted with the imperative of sharing this vital resource among all segments of society according to the values of justice and equality assured in the preamble, one finds a conspicuous lack of philosophical authority necessary to make decisions on the allocation, prioritisation, protection, regulation, and management of water resources. This want of a philosophical basis is manifest in a lack of a national water policy. If so, what might be an appropriate philosophical approach?
India is about as large as Europe without Russia. Both have long histories of human habitation. India comprises 28 States and 7 Union Territories. Europe is a union of 27 independent nations. In 2000, the European Union issued the far-reaching Water Framework Directive with the goal of achieving sustainable management of water. The Directive requires all member-states to establish water laws conforming to common hydrological principles applied over river basins, with the active participation of citizens. The Directive’s philosophical foundation is set forth in the preamble: “Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.”
In 1976, a committee on Earth Resources, Time, and Man of the International Union of Geological Sciences observed: “Mankind is on the threshold of a transition from a brief interlude of exponential growth to a much longer period characterised by rates of change so slow as to be regarded essentially as a period of non-growth. Although the impending period of transition to very low growth rates poses no insuperable physical or biological difficulties, those aspects of our current economic and social thinking which are based on the premise that current rates of growth can be sustained indefinitely must be revised. Failing to respond promptly and rationally to these impending changes could lead to a global ecological crisis in which human beings will be the main victims.” This observation clearly anticipates the findings of the 2030 Water Resources Group.
Even with the best available technologies, the finiteness and unpredictable variability of water resource systems place severe limits on human aspirations for prosperity. At present, India is in a difficult position of not only accepting this reality but also having to take concrete steps to adapting to the reality.
A related development. A November 2009 report, “A framework for India’s water policy” of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, discusses India’s water endowments and the human challenges confronting sustainable water management.
(T.N. Narasimhan is in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley. tnnarasimhan@LBL.gov)
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Yamuna bed set for green, tourist-friendly makeover( Indian Express- Tuesday , Jan 26, 2010)
Esha Roy
New Delhi : While Union Sports minister M S Gill last week said the Yamuna is so dirty that foreign visitors should be kept away from the river during the Commonwealth Games, plans are afoot to make the riverbed a tourist-friendly zone — keeping in mind environmental issues.
Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna said there are plans to make concentric layers or sub-zones on the riverbed. He said, “The peripheral layer will allow recreational activities for visitors, like picnics.”
Khanna heads the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which plans land-use of the area.
Maintaining too much construction on the riverbed will not be entertained, Khanna told Newsline that DDA already has a plan in place by which this can be done.
Khanna chaired a high-level meeting last week in which feasibility and implementation of the plan had been discussed. “There will be three layers on the riverbed,” he said. “At the heart of the riverbed, alongside Yamuna, will be a biodiversity zone. There will be no construction here, and visitors will not be allowed to enter. The next layer will be the ‘interactive zone’ — while heavily forested, people will be allowed to enter this area.
“The last zone, farthest from the river, will be permitted to host recreational activities,” he said.
Khanna said at least 3,000 hectares of approximately 10,000 hectares of the riverbed had been “lost” to construction. So, “it is important to make judicious use of the remaining 7,000 hectares”.
While the nature of “recreational activities” is yet to be determined, he said a few suggestions that came up — a Formula One course, among others — during the meet were turned down.
Ruling out canalisation of the Yamuna, Khanna said this was not possible in Delhi due to the nature of the river and the pattern of rainfall in the city. “We studied the possibility of canalisation and ruled that out — this is primarily because rainfall pattern in our country is very different from that of Europe, and the amount of surface run-off in Delhi is much higher.
“The Yamuna also carries a very heavy silt load. While it has been possible to canalise the Thames or the Danube, this is not the case with the Yamuna.”
Khanna said his main aim would be to “preserve as much of the riverbed as possible”.
He said there are 20 “experimental wells” on the riverbed to study the pollution levels and the feasibility of cleaning the river.
Yamuna’s Delhi course
* Covers a length of 48 km — 22 km in urban area. Width varies from 1.5 km to 3 km
* Enters city at Palla and exits at Jaitpur, South Delhi
* Zone ‘O’ of DDA’s masterplan deals with land-use of riverbed and covers approximately 9,700 hectares
* 7 road bridges, 2 railway bridges, 1 Metro bridge, and 2 fair-weather pontoon bridges cross it
* 22 of city’s major drains discharge effluent into it
On riverbed
Existing structures on riverbed include the Delhi Secretariat (houses CM and her Cabinet), Samadhi complex, Akshardham temple, cremation grounds, sports complexes, thermal and gas power stations, bathing ghats, sewerage treatment plants, fly ash ponds and fly ash brick plants. Most of the riverbed is used for agriculture.
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