The Jal Board has also amended the system of sanctioning water connections: consumers will now be able to buy water meters of approved specifications from private dealers in the open market.

“Twenty per cent water is lost in leakages, and an equal amount supplied by the DJB is non-revenue water: that water is being supplied to someone but we are not getting any revenue for it,” DJB’s Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Negi said. “The DJB is now looking at streamlining distribution and reducing losses.”

Under the new policy, consumers with DJB-issued water meters that have turned defective can now replace them with meters bought from the market. According to Negi, consumers also have the option of either getting a refund of meter security or getting the money adjusted towards future water charges.

“We have to put a check on water theft — there shouldn’t be any stealing,” Negi said. “So all residents should install water meters or get defective meters replaced by December 31.”

The Jal Board has till date been unsuccessful in assessing its exact water distribution losses for using the old system of measuring the quantity of raw water available at water treatment plants and the quantity of treated water supplied by treatment plants for distribution. To overcome the situation and to plug losses, the DJB has also started a project to install bulk water meters at all water treatment plants, distribution mains, underground reservoirs and booster pumping stations.

The aim, Negi said, is to get a correct measurement of water supply from these points to different localities and consumers. “This will help us track leakages from various points and make the system more efficient,” he said.

While 86 meters have already been installed at various water treatment plants in the city, the process of installing the remaining 305 has been suspended for the time being, Negi said. The heat is still on, he said, “and the installation process has been suspended for now since various points need to stop supply for five or six hours in the (installation) process”.

He said, “The work is being taken up in a phased manner and will be completed by this December.”