The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has, for the first time, come out with a meter policy that will regulate all aspects of water use measurement through the KWA connection. Broadly, the policy aims to promote efficient water use and reduce ‘non-revenue water’ (NRW) or water that is ‘lost’ to the supply due to reasons such as pilgrimage and leakage.
Applicable to both domestic and non-domestic connections, it spells the best practices and guidelines to be followed in the selection, testing, installation, maintenance and replacement of water meters.
To guarantee an efficient measurement of water use, the policy requires consumers to change equipment every seven years, even if it is in working condition. Currently, meters are replaced by consumers and when they are reported as non-functional by KWA employees.
Over the years, KWA has suffered from anomalies in measuring water usage. Problems are exacerbated by the presence of faulty and non-functional meters in the network.
The policy lays down strict quality standards for meters. “Only those meters that have been approved by the Fluid Control Research Institute (FCRI), either model approval program (meters supplied by qualified suppliers published by FCRI) or FCRI type test and life cycle test certificate older than 1.5 years. Is not. Used in all home connections, “it notes.
The policy emphasizes the importance of proper training to meter readers to adequately address the issue of inconsistent and inaccurate readings. Meter readers should be trained to understand problems, including tampering, policy notes.
The policy is based on the provisions of the Kerala Water Supply and Sewerage Act and the Kerala Water Authority (Water Supply) Regulations. The state-run water utility formed a committee in July 2020 to formulate a strategy to remove inconsistent and inaccurate water meter readings and also draft a water meter policy. The draft has now been approved for implementation by the KWA.
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