This presentation gives an overview of the role of borewell metering and the importance of communities to introduce separate water tariffs in the absence of utility supplies. This helps manage the water

1. The Wishing Well
Avinash Krishnamurthy
(avinash@biome-solutions.com)
Biome Environmental Trust
Rainwater Club
Biome Environmental solutions Pvt Ltd

3. Whats an open well ? (A Persian Wheel : A sustainable borewell ? )

8. Whats a borewell ?
2nd
min – entering the borewell
3min 56 secs – Borewell casing ends
17th
min – yielding fissure
26th
min – Static water level

9. So Why Tariffs for water ?
Integral to managing
Quantity
Quality
Tariffs – Single most important economic
tool

10. Cost Account for Water Separately
(as for energy or any other infrastructure
service)
Don’t bundle it into a single maintenance
cost – you lose track of what’s happening
What cannot be measured cannot be
managed

11. Metering Source
Metering Distribution
Metering Consumption
Metering Waste
- Water Balance –
- Embedded Energy in Water -

12. Metering a Borewell – Electricity and Water
Knowing your numbers

13. Every household connection
METERED !!!!

14. An Ecological Framework : Water Balance

15. Capital Infrastructure Costs
(The borewells, pipes, meters etc)
Typically already paid up for
OR
Raise explicitly monies for implementing
new infrastructure

16. Production cost of water
Cost component Example expenses Example Sources of data
Cost of maintaining source groundwater management and
borewell maintenance
Cost accounting monies spent
on these (Bills)
Cost of pumping from source Borewell / well pumping costs Electricity bills
Cost of treating source quality
to consumption quality
RO system for TDS
management
Electricity and “Outsourcing”
bills
Cost of distribution pumping
and distribution maintenance
Hydro pneumatic pumping,
valves, pipes maintenance
Electricity and maintenance
bills
Cost of Conveying waste Sanitation pipes maintenance Cost accounting monies spent
on these (Bills)
Cost of Waste Water
treatment
STP running costs Electricity and “Outsourcing”
bills
Cost of Treated Waste water
disposal
“Pumps to throw it out” / Wells
to recharge treated waste
water to ground / reuse for
gardening
Cost accounting monies spent
on these (Bills) and Electricity
bills
Ecological Cost of Water : Cost of Returning it to nature at the same quality you extracted it

17. 1. Go to Indiawaterportal.org
2. Search for “When Pigs fly : Citizens at the centre of integrated urban water management”
3. Download
A. Production cost of water tool
B. Ecological framework

18. Electricity consumption for Borewells
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
April
08
May
08
June
08
July
08
Aug
08
Sep
08
Oct
08
Nov
08
Dec
08
Jan
09
Feb
09
Month of Year
UnitsofElectricity
consumed
8SWP 5329
8SWP 5799
8SWP 6685
8SWP 6686
8SP 165
8SP 164
Totals
Total Electricity and Rainfall
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
April08M
ay
08June
08July
08Aug
08Sep
08O
ct08Nov
08Dec
08Jan
09Feb
09
Month of the year
Unitspermonth
0
50
100
150
200
250
Rainfallpermonth
inmm
Units of Electricity
Consumed
Rainfall
Per KL units consumed and Rainfall
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
April
08
May
08
June
08
July
08
Aug
08
Sep
08
Oct
08
Nov
08
Dec
08
Jan
09
Feb
09
Month of the year
Unitspermonth
0
50
100
150
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Rainfallpermonth
inmm
per KL units
Rainfall

19. Principles for Tariff Setting
Financial sustainability
• Cover all operating costs (pumping bills,salaries etc) –
assuming equity issues not there
• Sinking fund for infrastructure maintenance
Water supply security
• Water supply continuity fund (digging new borewells)
Ecological security and responsibility
• Source management / Sustainability fund (eg: recharge
and maintenance of recharge, future investments for
reuse etc)

20. Principles for Tariff Setting
Demand Management (most important ?)
• Increasing block Tariff
• Incentivize conservative use of water
• Penalize wasteful use
Let the Water Bill tell the story – its more than numbers

21. Demand Management
Control Lever : Water Tariffs
Don’t bundle Water charges into other
charges
A Water Bill can be a communication
tool (Make your bill tell the story)
Understand Production cost of water
Can an increasing block tariff be
imposed ?
Are there mechanisms to penalise
wasteful use
Are there mechanisms to incentivise
conservative use
Consumption
slab
Tariff
0 – 10 KL Rs 10/-
10 – 20 KL Rs 15/-
20 – 30 KL Rs 25/-
30 – 40 KL Rs 40/-
> 40 KL Rs 60/-

22. Demand Management
Water Literate means Water responsible
Engage with the community
Communicate water issues, get the kids involved
Educate Community
Provide Data and Information
Voices for Water !!!!
Water Efficient Devices
Taps : Flow rate ? 75lpm or 2 to 10 lpm
Showers : Flow rate ? 30lpm or 10 to 12 lpm (Bucket Bath ?)
Water closets : 10/20 litres or 6/3 litre dual flush
Washing m/c : 150 litres or 70-100 litres, Front loading not top loading
Bath Tubs : DON’T USE THEM (Bucket Bath ?)

23. Biome Environmental Trust
• Urban water and Groundwater research
• Engaging with Schools
• Urban and Rural Sanitation
Section 12A / 80G
Donate generously ;-)

24. Biome Environmental Trust
(Rainwater Club)
avinash@biome-solutions.com
www.rainwaterclub.org
www.biome-solutions.com
1022, 1st
floor, 6th
Block,
HMT Layout, Vidyaranyapura,
Bangalore – 560 097,
Phone : 080 41672790

25. A yielding recharge well !!

27. Rainwater sent for recharge
Recharging a bore well
Outlet pipe in recharge well

28. …So What is water quality ?...
• Is your piped water, borewell water or tanker water clean ?
• How do you know ? Have you tested water you use ?
• And have you tested it after your aquaguard, RO system or
whatever-else ?
BIS 10500:1991 –
Drinking water Standards for India, 33 parameters.
Formal water testing conducted in
Accredited Labs found in cities.
Water Quality issues to watch out for in cities :
a) TDS – High TDS in groundwater. Health issues and Problem for Fixtures, pipes, taste etc
b) Hardness – High hardness in groundwater. Health issues, Soaping, taste and stains
c) TSS – High TSS – associated typically with surface water sources. Sometimes piped water in blore has silt !!!
d) High Nitrates and phoshates – Urban area sewage mixing with water or seeping into groundwater
e) Bacterial and viral contamination – Source of this can be anything including way water is handled and stored.
f) In specific geologies issues like Iron, Flouride, Arsenic needs to be checked

29. Good Ground Water Management :
A component of good water management
Demand & Catchment Management
Source and Supply Management (covered)
Waste Water Management

30. Waste Water Management
What goes around comes around
Bangalore Ground water has
high nitrates (upto 100-150)
Waste Water you throw out comes
Back into your borewell

31. Waste Water Management
Is your STP working or is it just getting rid of your waste water ?
Do you do regular checks of STP output water ?
Is the contract with your STP operator linked to quality of output ? Does he
have metrics of performance ?
Can you reuse waste water ? Can you separate out different kinds of waste
water ?
Does your flushing need good quality water ?
Can you treat waste water to good enough quality that you can recharge it ?

32. Dewats

33. Dewats with Grey water recycle
Reuse Waste Water (eg: Grey for flushing,
Treated black/grey for irrigation)
And use the treated waste water to irrigate
Your roof farm that produces food

34. Getting Maverick :
Turn sewage to a nutrient through Eco-san

35. The choice is yours:
Want to be part of the solution ?
or
Want to be part of the problem ?

36. Kunju Azhil, 57
Started digging surangas when was 16
Surangas of Kasargod

38. How much water do I use ?
Use Litres/person
Drinking 3
Cooking 4
Bathing 20
Flushing 40
Washing-clothes 25
Washing Utensils 20
Gardening 23
Total 135
Real Consumption range :
from 50 to 300 liters per person per day
National Town planning Norms :
Urban : 135 Lpcd
Rural (Karnataka) : 55 Lpcd
How much
Water do
YOU
Use ?