Meters remain defunct in Adilabad; water consumption goes unaccounted

Water meters installed under Mission Bhagiratha in Adilabad district have failed to function, leading to unmonitored consumption, wastage, and shortages. Despite adequate water drawn from purification centres, transmission losses and lack of accountability have left several towns parched.

Adilabad: Water meters installed under the Mission Bhagiratha scheme to monitor household water consumption in urban areas of the erstwhile Adilabad district have largely remained defunct, leading to confusion over actual water usage.

As part of the scheme, around 20,000 meters were installed along with tap connections in households across the district headquarters to record the supply of 135 litres per household per day. However, most meters are dysfunctional due to the absence of standard operational guidelines.

---

A significant number of meters have reportedly been stolen, while several beneficiaries are said to have avoided using them fearing their consumption data might expose excess usage, leading to disconnection.

With the devices not functioning, the exact quantity of water supplied to households remains unaccounted, resulting in wastage and discrepancies.

Sources said sufficient water is drawn daily from the purifying centres for supply, but a considerable quantity is wasted in transmission from the filter beds to households. While officials claim they are supplying adequate water to beneficiaries, several areas continue to face a drinking water shortage even during the monsoon.

Officials said 35,393 connections were provided in Adilabad town under the Rs 82 crore Mission Bhagiratha project, jointly funded by the State and Central governments in a 50:50 ratio. The town’s estimated daily water requirement is 32 million litres, but only 18 million litres are being supplied.

Meanwhile, similar water shortages have been reported from Mancherial, Nirmal, Kagaznagar, Bellampalli and other towns, attributed to the lack of functioning meters at regular intervals.