Tiruchi Corporation plans to expedite the pilot project to install smart meters for non-domestic drinking water connections

In order to speed up the pilot project and install smart metres for non-domestic drinking water connections in a few wards, Tiruchi Corporation has made the decision to accelerate the project. The Corporation decided to install smart metres earlier this year to evaluate the non-domestic drinking water connections, and in February, it passed a resolution to test it out in 13 wards in Zone V (Ko Abhishekapuram). In May, the Corporation issued a request for proposals to carry out the pilot project and allotted a sum of 51 lakh rupees from its general fund. To install smart metres, a Salem-based engineering business was enlisted.

According to a senior Corporation official, the company will replace all traditional metres with digital ones in Zone V's non-domestic drinking water connections. The company will also create specialised software and handle maintenance of the smart metres for an additional year after the specified warranty period. All parties have been invited to periodic meetings to assess the implementation, during which directions have been provided to move quickly and finish the task. After the pilot project is finished, measures will be taken to expand it to all the zones in the following stage.

In the city, there are more than 1.2 lakh connections for drinking water, and the local body collects water fees at various rates for household and non-domestic clients. Currently, water costs are computed using manual readings obtained by Corporation employees. There are certain issues with monitoring how much water is used, as well as a labour scarcity for physically collecting measurements, which has prompted the suggestion to digitise water metering.

The civic organisation will be able to monitor and control water use using its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) control room with the aid of digitization. Additionally, this would enable the administration to impose water fees based on real use as opposed to a set rate, which is expected to boost income.