The Chennai Metro Water and Sewerage System Board (CMWSSB) plans to install drinking water consumption meters in residential apartments and commercial building complexes as a preventive measure to reduce water wastage.
Around 80 lakh citizens reside in areas under the jurisdiction of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), with over 12 lakh property owners.
CMWSSB has been responsible for linking and distributing drinking water throughout Chennai Metro City, covering 8.42 lakh drinking water connections. This amounts to a distribution of over 1000 million liters of water daily by CMWSSB.
In this context, CMWSSB officials shared the following:
"Taking into account the need for economical usage of drinking water, we are planning to install drinking water consumption meters in all residential apartments and commercial building complexes. We are in the process of preparing the necessary contract documents.
Once the approval is granted, tenders will be issued, and the installation of drinking water consumption meters will commence.
Currently, residential apartment complexes and commercial building complexes receive unlimited quantities of water. Regardless of the consumption amount, these citizens pay Rs. 84/- per month.
Since November 2019, approximately 21,000 drinking water consumption meters have been installed. One kilo-litre of water consumption equals 1000 liters. Private hospitals are charged Rs. 114 per kilo-litre (for consumption up to 500 kilo-litres). Educational institutions are charged Rs. 94/- per kilo-litre. For other institutions, Rs. 81/- per kiloliter is the charge.
The plan is to install drinking water consumption meters in every residential and commercial building."