Surat, located in the western part of India in Gujarat, is a very dynamic city with a fast growth rate due to immigration from various parts of India. As per the Census 2001, the present population of Surat urban agglomeration is 28,11,614. The city has seen an unprecedented growth in the last four decades, recording one of the highest growth rates in the country, and a 10-fold population rise. The city is known for its textile trade, and diamond cutting and polishing industries. The outbreak of plague in 1994 highlighted the inadequate urban infrastructure of the city. Surat is known for its ability to convert adversity into advantage.
Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has developed a well-established networked water-supply system to provide drinking water to a consumer base of 3.25 lakh connections within the city area comprising 334 sq. km. For the effective distribution of treated water to various parts of the city, there are four waterworks, ten major water distribution stations and four pumping stations. All waterworks, water-distribution stations and pumping stations, are connected to the grid network so that water can be supplied by the other waterworks or distribution stations in case of non-functioning or shutdown of any individual waterworks. Currently, SMC is supplying more than 680 million liters of water per day (MLD), as against the installed capacity of 828 MLD.

The demand for water in Surat city rose with rapid urbanisation between 1996–97 and 2003–04. The energy cost in Surat Corporation, as in any other corporation, was one of the major components of operational expenses in water supply, and contributed more than 61% to the total energy bill of SMC. With an ever-increasing population resulting in increase in volume of services, optimising energy consumption for water supply became a priority for SMC. As part of its reform efforts, SMC created the Energy Efficiency Cell in October 2001.

The demand for water increased gradually in Surat city, from 199 MLD in 1996–97 to 828 MLD in 2007, which in turn increased the energy cost of water supply from Rs. 12.66 crore in 1996–97 to Rs. 43.12 crore in 2003–04. There was an urgent need for the SMC to reduce energy consumption, and thereby, the overall operating cost.
In the water-supply system, SMC identified the following major energy consumption areas: (a) raw/filtered water collection, (b) filtration of raw water including chlorination, (c) filtered water transmission and (d) filtered water distribution. After examining these areas, it was found that savings lie in the filtered water transmission. Thus, dedicated efforts were made in re-engineering the filtered water transmission routes and by focusing on other energy saving measures.

Re-engineering of filtered water transmission routes included calculation of specific energy consumption in transmission of water in the existing situation, and determining the economical channels for transmission for all water distribution stations. Actions taken for making transmission more economical include: making connections between existing transmission lines more effective, laying new transmission lines and connecting to existing ones, and replacement of existing pumps as per the energy auditor’s suggestion.

Other energy-saving measures taken up included installation of thyristor-based APFC panels in the water distribution system, coating the pumps at the booster house of head waterworks, installation of pump sets at old and new booster pump houses, replacement of impeller at booster house and raw-water wells, replacement of energy-inefficient pumping machineries etc.
The Surat Municipal Corporation used robust technology to save energy at the municipality level. It also effectively maintained its database for the performance of pumping machineries, water supply, electricity bills etc. The grid network with re-engineered routes resulted in huge energy savings.

The SMC reduced its overall energy consumption from 343.29 KWH/ML (2003–2004) to 316.95 KWH/ML (2006–2007). It saved 79.40 lakh KWH/annum (Rs 350.23 lakh /annum) by reducing power costs. Savings achieved by re-engineering the pipelines in four major locations were Rs. 326.67 lakh. Other than re-engineering projects, nine energy-saving projects were implemented, which resulted in annual savings of Rs. 23.60 lakh. The specific energy consumption of SMC water supply system is monitored on a daily basis and was found to have reduced from 356.87 KWH/ML in 2000–01 to 316.95 KWH/ML in 2007. The total savings achieved by SMC through re-engineering and energy conservation were Rs. 350.23 lakh per year.
As no additional capital cost will be required and O&M costs are reduced, this project is highly sustainable.

For further details, contact:

Ms. S. Aparna, IAS
Municipal Commissioner
Surat Municipal Corporation
Muglisara, Surat 395003