Tap connection mandatory under AMRUT

Ongole: For the optimum utilisation of drinking water and to increase the revenue from water distribution, the urban local bodies (ULBs) under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) are making it mandatory to have a tap connection in every home.

Under the scheme, the Centre has selected 33 towns in the state and the ULBs will try to improve capacity building, water supply, sewerage and septage management, storm water drainage, urban transport and development of green spaces and parks.

Under water supply management, the ULBs will augment existing water supply, water treatment plants and universal metreing.

They will replace old water supply systems, including treatment plants, and rejuvenate water bodies specifically for drinking water supply and recharging of ground water.

The ULBs will make special water supply arrangement for difficult areas, hill and coastal cities, including those having water quality problems with arsenic and fluoride.

As part of AMRUT scheme, the ULBs are now preparing to make sure every house gets drinking water and installing metres at water storage tanks and other joints of supply pipelines to record the consumption demand from each area and rationality in it.

The ULBs are setting up teams to visit each house in town and approve applications for tap from public.

In Ongole, there are around 30,000 official and illegal water tap connections, including 700 public tap connections. Sankranti Venkata Krishna, Commissioner of Ongole Municipal Corporation, said every house in the town where a water pipeline is laid should have the tap connection.

He said the officials team visiting every house will approve the application and install connection for houses which did not have the connections.

He said illegal tap connections will be regularised and new connections will be given in five days.

He announced that they waived the deposit, road cutting charges, scrutiny charges in this special drive to below poverty line families. For the above poverty line, the families must pay Rs 6,000 in eight equal installments for tap connection, along with other charges.

He announced all houses will be charged a water tax of Rs 60 per month and public taps will be removed to save water in due course as they are no longer needed.

The ULBs have set a time period to lay water pipelines in all streets in next six months and provide tap connections to all houses in towns to estimate consumption of each drop of water.