Goa to replace 1000 km-long pipeline to curb non-revenue water

PANAJI: Goa government has announced augmentation of its water supply capacity and also replacement of an age old pipeline criss-crossing 1000-kilometre stretch in the state to reduce the quantum of non-revenue water.

State Public Works Department Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar told reporters here that the central government has given in principle go ahead for the ambitious project replacing the 1,000 km long pipeline at a cost of Rs 345 crore.

"The formal proposal would be placed before the union government's committee during the meeting scheduled on September 25," Dhavalikar said.

The minister said that such a measure would reduce the quantum of non-revenue water, which is currently has reached alarming level of 40-50 per cent.

He said a special cell comprising 25 engineers has been assigned the job of curbing the percentage of non revenue water.

The Cell was formed three months back and we are sure that all the measures would help us to reduce the non revenue water (NRW) up to 20 per cent by next year, he said conceding that majority of revenue loses are created due to NRW.

Dhavalikar said the state government is working to provide round the clock water supply to all parts of Goa by December 2016, through the Japan agency funded project.

He said work on projects dealing with water augmentation will be complete by March 2015.