With almost 45 per cent of potable water supplied in the national Capital being wasted owing to leaks, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has finally woken up to the cause and it is now on a revamping spree of its existing leak Detection Investigation Cell. The cell has been directed to carry a fresh survey to bring the latest figures of the total number of leakages in piped water supply in the city.
In order to cut down on the water loss in the house service connections of the consumers, a leak Detection Investigation Cell has been set up. “The revamped cell will detect surface leakages as well as hidden leakages for the entire city of Delhi. The CEO, DJB reviewed the preparedness of this cell and has directed that an intensive special drive be taken up to detect and prevent all leakages,” said a DJB official.
The leak detection cell has been strengthened with more manpower and latest equipment for detecting hidden leakages. For the survey, entire Delhi has been divided into sectors with one team in-charge of that sector. The cell has been directed to detect all the leakages in their respective areas within next three months.
“The team will visit their respective pre-notified areas during water supply time in the morning and evening hours to detect surface leakages and will take steps to repair on the same day,” said a DJB official, adding that special focus will be on conducting surveys of the vulnerable areas which are prone to leakages and have already been identified in the Summer Action Plan 2015.
It is pertinent to note that leakages appearing on the ground can be identified easily and rectified immediately, however, those under the ground in the water mains and consumers’ service connections are difficult to trace and can also lead to water contamination as dirty water can enter the pipeline through the leaking points.
“This drive of leakage detection has twofold benefits. On the one hand, it will cut down the water loss which will increase water availability for Delhiites and on the other hand, it will also address the issue of water contamination, which is a major concern for DJB. This will also lead to in reduction of non-revenue water,” maintained the official.