The Secunderabad Canton-ment Board is likely to spare residents within its limits from an immediate drinking water tariff hike.

The elected ward members, led by vice-president B. Narmada, deferred their decision to increase water charges till the dispute with the Water Board is resolved. The elected members also said a decision on the quantum of hike will be taken only after the meeting with the Chief Minister and after the resolution of the dispute.

BMC will set up a committee to enable equitable distribution of water in the city.

The committee will survey the distribution system to identify areas where supply is not equal. Additional municipal commissioner Rajeev Jalota told a standing committee meeting on Monday, “Through the committee headed by Mahadev Chitale, BMC will conduct a survey and try to meet the water demand of the population. There are a number of areas with high density of people receiving less water, while other areas with low population receive a good amount.”

Kochi In an effort to standardise prices of packaged drinking water bottles, the Kerala Bottled Water Manufacturers Association today fixed the maximum retail price (MRP) for one litre at Rs 15.

"The decision ... is in the backdrop of consumers being fleeced by shop owners by charging exorbitant prices on bottled drinking water," KBWA President M E Mohamed told reporters here.

Govt Mulls Increasing Rates For Homes, Farms, Industries

Gandhinagar: A major proposal is pending in Gujarat’s top corridors of power. It recommends a sharp increase of water rates for all three categories of consumers – irrigation, domestic and industry. This is aimed at meeting operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, which Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) would need to bear, to keep the Narmada project going.

Accused of allowing huge cost overruns in award of work for revamping the water transmission and distribution system in the Capital’s Nangloi area on a public-private partnership basis, the Delhi Jal Board on Thursday vehemently denied the charges and said comparisons could not be drawn between the Nangloi project and other similar works.

A non-government organisation, Citizens’ Front for Water Democracy, had accused the DJB recently of allowing work to be carried out on inflated rates and comparing the Nangloi project with a similar one in Patna, saying the cost difference between the two was a whopping Rs. 1,000 crore.

Citizens, be prepared to pay more for water after Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board starts supply from the Cauvery Stage IV Phase II.

Opposition to overarching legal framework of principles on water

A conference of Water Resources and Irrigation Ministers here on Wednesday saw opposition to the Centre’s proposal to evolve an overarching national legal framework of principles on water, to link financial assistance to “aggressive” water sector reforms and to set up a Permanent Forum of Water Resources and Irrigation Ministers to deliberate on issues/disputes.

A proposal to privatise water supply and distribution in a few areas in the city has kicked up a row with union leaders threatening to disrupt the daily water supply if the government does not abandon the privatisation proposal. Though privatising water supply was first proposed in 2000-01, during the Telugu Desam regime, it was kept in abeyance following sharp criticism that the then ruling party was dancing to the tunes of the World Bank.

In 2010, privatisation of at least a single operation and maintenance division in the city was mooted, but the unions shot it down. The current privatisation proposal too has been opposed by the Water Works Employees’ Union.