Date:06/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/06/stories/2008120653440300.htm

Karnataka - Mysore

MoU signed for 24-hour water supply in city

Special Correspondent

The water distribution project is being executed through PPP model

The project will take six years to complete
There will be a complete remodelling of
hydraulic systems

MYSORE: The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) on Thursday signed an MoU with the Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Company Limited (JUSCO) to ensure round-the-clock water supply to Mysore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The MoU is a tripartite agreement between the MCC, JUSCO and the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB). The project will enable equitable distribution of Cauvery water treated at Hongalli and Melapura treatment plants to the consumers through a network stretching to 1,200 km from 28 small and large reservoirs. The supply will gradually be scaled up to 24 hours a day. The service level has to commensurate with national and international benchmarks as stipulated in the contract agreement. The Rs.152-crore project is for a period of six years and the already sanctioned JNNURM funds will be utilised for improving the water supply infrastructure in Mysore city. The balance funding would be provided equally by the State Government and the MCC.

As per the agreement, JUSCO will complete hydraulic remodelling of the existing system in 12 months and prepare a capital investment plan. The second phase, running into three years, will entail efficient distribution to reduce water losses and gradually increase various service standards. The third and final phase of two years will involve providing 24x7 water supply to the entire city ensuring sustainability of achieved service standards.

Incidentally, JUSCO, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, has the experience of managing water service in Jamshedpur city for over nine decades. In addition, it also handles two other major projects, one at Salt Lake City, Kolkata, and the other at the industrial city of Haldia.

The Mysore project is also the largest water supply project being executed through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in India. The MoU was signed by the Corporation Commissioner R.S. Raikar and JUSCO representative V.S. Narayanan in the presence of Mayor Ayub Khan, Deputy Mayor Kamala, and other councillors.