Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran implemented a combined water-supply scheme for Daryapur, Anjangaon towns along with 156 villages. This has resulted in the provision of reliable water-supply on a regular basis at the household level, and has reduced dependence on public stand posts, with a successful combination of technology, consultations with people, and maintenance practices.
Daryapur (Banosa), a class C municipal council in Amravati district of Maharashtra, comprises three separate towns, i.e., Daryapur, Banosa and Babhali. As per the 2001 census, the population in Daryapur was 34,398, with an average literacy rate of 78%. The town is also famous for its schooling and excellence in education.
The Daryapur town water-supply scheme was operated and maintained by the Municipal Council. Earlier, water was provided to the town from supply wells located on the banks of river Shahanoor, which resulted in poor water yield due to scanty rainfall. Moreover, with a high rate of leaks and power failures, the system provided erratic and unreliable water supply, often only once in 7–15 days. To avoid these problems, a combined water supply scheme for Daryapur and Anjangaon towns and 156 villages located in a saline area of Amravati district was proposed by the Government of Maharashtra, with Shahanoor dam as a source through metallic lines.
Before launching this initiative, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), a stakeholder meeting with key beneficiaries and stakeholders — MLA, sarpanches, panchayat members, municipal council members, council presidents, and tehsildars — was organised to create awareness about the expected cost savings, and to seek their support in the execution of the works in order to avoid delays.

To make the project self-sustainable, it was decided to recover operating costs through user charges. A decision was also made to phase out the public stand posts to avoid water wastage. The scheme was approved and the tender was released to Nagarjuna Construction Company. Construction works included a 10 lakh litre raw-water sump, a 50 MLD treatment plant, a 50 lakh litre pure water sump and 714 meters of 800 mm diameter DI gravity main. Additionally, necessary sand filters, controlling valves, kinetic air valves, scour valves etc. were installed. MBRs and ESRs were constructed with a minimum of two outlets for proper zoning, effective maintenance and better services, and were connected to DI and CI mains and distribution lines. Community participation also played an important role right from the inception of the project, in pipe-laying and land acquisition.

Works related to the construction of staff quarters, rest houses, development of MIS systems, installation of wireless base stations, generators and other machinery, were outsourced. Daryapur Municipal Council handed over the Daryapur Town Water Supply scheme to MJP for day-to-day maintenance, along with revenue collection.

All networks were controlled with the help of wireless stations. Day-to-day maintenance works such as water-bill collection, plumbing and pipe work, were executed by MJP. The cost of materials for household connections, except for the saddle, was borne by the consumers. The saddle cost was provided by MJP to avoid leakages and to maintain uniformity.

Necessary steps, such as frequent visits to customers' households, were taken in order to improve cost recovery. All connections were metered, and the water charges were fixed at Rs. 10.20/kl. Public stand posts were phased out and poor households were encouraged to take group connections to avoid wastage of water and for related revenues. Steps towards 24X7 water supply in Daryapur are also in progress.
The combined water-supply scheme helped two towns and 156 villages to receive regular piped water in all houses, resulting in enormous time-saving for women and other family members. The scheme has cut down the use of pumping machinery leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions; thus, the scheme is also eco-friendly. The project is self-sufficient with a low maintenance cost and high reliability due to metallic lining of the pipes.

As each household has been provided with an individual connection, the wastage of water associated with public stand posts has been reduced. Pumping operations have significantly reduced, and related personnel were re-deployed to carry out billing and collection work.

Other benefits of the project include a rise in groundwater level (with stoppage of groundwater extraction), improved lifestyle of beneficiaries due to safe and assured water supply, reduced medical expenses and time-saving.

Individual schemes were submitted for Anjanagaon, Daryapur and 156 villages, with the water source specified as Shahanoor dam. To avoid duplication of pipelines, treatment plant etc., a combined scheme was approved, which resulted in a saving of Rs. 82 crore as shown below:

Abandoning the old water supply and pumping system resulted in savings of Rs 8 lakhs a month. Door-to-door bill collection improved the recovery of dues to more than 90%. Consequently, the state government has given the MJP a grant of Rs. 222 lakh for the year 2008. The break-even point for the project was reached within four years of operation, and now MJP is working towards repayment of the HUDCO loan.
The combined water supply scheme has resulted in reliable and sustainable water supply to all the 156 villages and two towns. Water is supplied through gravity, resulting in huge savings in electricity consumption for pumping. Most of the pumping machinery (83 pumps) was removed, resulting in a saving of 8,978 units per day, i.e., Rs. 96 lakh per annum. Individual water meters resulted in payment based on consumption, and have also increased the satisfaction levels of residents.

For further details contact:

Mr. D. L. Borkar
Executive Engineer
Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran
Works Division, Daryapur District
Amaravati (M.S.)