Metrowater rates self 53/100 as projects lag

“Overall, we rated ourselves at 53 per cent. Not bad because we could only salvage six out of possible 17 months. These are baby steps towards proper organisational planning in a public utility. We shall soon have a professional business plan for Metrowater,” T Prabhushankar, executive director of Metrowater, tweeted.

The water manager had devised a game plan to implement and complete projects like creating decentralised sources of the city’s water supply, GIS mapping of assets, ensuring last mile connectivity and adding new sewer lorry services before the end of 2020.

However, the projects were delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown.

In its self-assessment, the Metrowater gave one mark out of 10, which is the lowest, to the sewer lorry services. The plan was to procure 50 sewer lorries and operate them in added areas for faecal sludge removal from households.

“Retender is to be called as the prices quoted in the first tender were high. New tenders will be called for by the end of June and all lorries will be procured by December, “ he added.

Meanwhile, the Metrowater has intensified the implementation of the ‘Illanthorum Inaippu’ scheme, which allows the residents to get sewer connections by paying the charges on an instalment basis.

As per the data, as many as 9,344 households in added areas like Tiruvottiyur, Madhavaram, Ambattur and Sholinganallur have received sewer connections. Under the scheme, households will be given new sewage connections within five days of application. The residents should pay 10 per cent of the charges as the first instalment and the remaining could be paid in nine months over five years.

On the other hand, Metrowater has estimated more than 1.50 lakh households in the city that are to be given connections under the scheme.

“In just 20 days, close to 10,000 connections were given. In a week, the second phase will begin where one lakh connections are targeted,” Prabhushankar said.