Coimbatore : SUEZ, the French company implementing round-the-clock water supply in Coimbatore is expected to complete the pilot phase in R S Puram by September, this year.
Coimbatore : SUEZ, the French company implementing round-the-clock water supply in Coimbatore is expected to complete the pilot phase in R S Puram by September, this year.
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation has chosen SUEZ to manage and operate the water distribution system within the entire city, to ensure continuous drinking water access for its 1.6 million inhabitants. The 21-year project, worth nearly 2961 crores is the largest water services contract won by SUEZ in India.
SUEZ was entrusted to improve the quality of water services and ensure permanent access to drinking water, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to the 60 wards in Coimbatore. The scope of the contract includes the optimisation, rehabilitation and operation of the entire water distribution system (reservoirs, water network, house connections, water meters, valves, etc.)
which will cover an area of over 100 kms with 150,000 connections and a distribution network of 1,200 km. The contract also aims to improve customer services with a state-of-the-art customer call centre and customer agencies to ensure a personalised service and faster complaints resolution.
The French company, SUEZ started work in R S Puram as the pilot area, and work is expected to be completed by September this year. Out of 3,953 mts of pipeline to be laid, 1200 mts has been laid which is about 25 percent of the total length.
Now the company is also testing for structural stability of overhead tanks in the specified area. According to sources, out of 41 tanks, testing for 15 tanks has been completed thus far and the remaining 26 will be completed within a month.
The Rs.2,961 crores project aiming to supply water round-the-clock to 60 wards of the Coimbatore Corporation has come under severe criticism. Granting essential services to a private company has led to apprehension among the public, more importantly about the pricing of water facilities.
But the apprehensions do not hold merit according to Corporation officials. "The project is under Corporation control and SUEZ is just an implementing agency. More importantly, public need not panic regarding water pricing, since pricing for water is decided by the Urban local authority and SUEZ or any other private party does not have any say in it.
If water pricing is to be increased, then it has to be increased across the State. There will be no special or exorbitant increase for areas coming under 24x7. The charges made in this regard are totally baseless," reassured a senior official.
"Out of the total project cost, 20 percent is to be borne by the French company, since the company has to take care of operation and maintenance for 21 years and this will be the company's commitment to the project. The company will be paid its charges on an annual basis once it completes a certain number of connections specified for the said period. After a year, the company will get 3.1 percent of the total capital cost, provided the company fulfills certain pre-specified bench marks mentioned in the contract," added the official.
"Moreover, the project which was initially perceived under JNNURM now comes under the Amrut scheme and it has a contribution of 150 crores from the smart city fund as convergence fund, since 24 x 7 water supply will be implemented in some areas coming under the Smart City Project. The contract cannot be cancelled easily since the contract has pre-specified clauses and cancellation will attract heavy financial loss," opined the official.