TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Through a concerted effort, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has succeeded in reducing the Non Revenue Water (NRW) by up to 27 per cent in pilot areas in South Goa.
In the technical cooperation project, three pilot sites ~ Curtorim, Khadpaband and Moira were selected, where several activities were conducted through the On-the-Job-Training (OJT) method, such as House Hold Survey (HHS), finding/repairing of water leakages, and repairing/replacing of water meters, pipes and valves. The NRW ratio dramatically reduced from 45.1 per cent to 18.0 per cent in Curtorim pilot area, from 62.1 per cent to 34.4 per cent in Khadpaband pilot area, and from 53.0 per cent to 36.1 per cent in Moira area.
The PWD staff trained through the pilot activities are expected to expand the acquired knowledge and skills in other areas with the objective to further improve the NRW ratio in the entire State of Goa. In fact, some engineers who learnt the problems and needs of users directly through the HHS started to teach the skills and knowledge to colleagues and plumbers, and voluntarily started NRW reduction activities outside of their pilot areas.
As the current project is coming to an end, PWD has submitted the request for Phase II activities to JICA, for expanding the current impact from Phase I to the entire state and further enhancing the capacity of PWD, which is currently under consideration by JICA.
In addition to the technical cooperation project, JICA is also supporting PWD through the loan project, amounting to 22.8 billion Japanese yen (Rs. 1,400 crore), on the improvement of water supply and sewerage facilities including water treatment plants, pumping stations, sewer collection network, transmission and distribution network, and sewerage treatment plants. Goa is abundant in water resources, and is aiming to become the first state in India to achieve 24×7 water supply in the entire State
