WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

THE CURRENT SCENARIO

        According to 1991 census, the State of Kerala has an urban population of 76.80   lakhs and rural population of 214.18 lakhs .  The extent of water supply coverage in  the State is presently  54% for the rural population and 78% for the urban population.   The remaining population  has  to  depend  on  open  draw wells, ponds,  natural streams, etc.  It has been estimated that 45% of the rural population depends on privately owned wells.  

RURAL WATER SUPPLY

           The  RGNDWM during 1993 undertook a survey of the status of water supply  in the rural areas of the country. According to this, there are 990 Panchayats and  9776 habitations (Wards in Kerala) in the State. Against  2289 Non-Covered(NC)  habitations and 7422  Partially- Covered(PC) habitations, as on today there are still 994 NC habitations and 6889 PC habitations in the State which are yet to be taken up for implementing water supply facilities.  

URBAN WATER SUPPLY

        There  are  53  Municipalities,  1  Township  and  5  Corporations  in  addition to   nearly 100  classified  Census  Towns  in  Kerala.  Out  of  the  53  Municipalities,  nearly  20 have a supply level of less than 70 lpcd and as such require immediate    augmentation.  

Implementation

The Kerala Water Authority has given 7.06 lakhs piped  water supply connections and 1.43 lakhs  public stand posts in the State. Currently, KWA is in the process of implementing 261 new major water supply schemes.
	Public Stand Post

STRATEGY FOR FULL COVERAGE

    The Kerala Water Authority, Ground Water Department and Local Bodies have to go hand in hand with their schemes for achieving full coverage. The activities in this direction shall combine the traditional practices and modern technology as briefed below:

WATER CHARGE

         Water charges per month is collected through Provisional Invoice Card System.  Local bodies are charged for the street taps on the basis of number of street taps provided.