The Wishing Well

Avinash Krishnamurthy

(avinash@biome-solutions.com)

Biome Environmental Trust

Rainwater Club

Biome Environmental solutions Pvt Ltd

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

Whats a borewell ?

2nd min – entering the borewell3min 56 secs – Borewell casing ends17th min – yielding fissure26th min – Static water level

So Why Tariffs for water ?

Integral to managing

Quantity

Quality

Tariffs – Single most important economic tool

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

Metering Source

Metering Distribution

Metering Consumption

Metering Waste

- Water Balance –

- Embedded Energy in Water -

Metering a Borewell – Electricity and WaterKnowing your numbers

Every household connection METERED !!!!

An Ecological Framework : Water Balance

Capital Infrastructure Costs

(The borewells, pipes, meters etc)

Typically already paid up for

OR

Raise explicitly monies for implementing new infrastructure

Production cost of waterCost 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

1. Go to Indiawaterportal.org2. Search for “When Pigs fly : Citizens at the centre of integrated urban water management”3. Download

A. Production cost of water toolB. Ecological framework

Electricity consumption for Borewells

0100020003000400050006000700080009000

April08

May 08

June 08

July08

Aug08

Sep08

Oct08

Nov08

Dec08

Jan09

Feb09

Month of Year

Uni

ts o

f Ele

ctri

city

co

nsum

ed

8SWP 5329

8SWP 5799

8SWP 6685

8SWP 6686

8SP 165

8SP 164

Totals

Total Electricity and Rainfall

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

Month of the year

Un

its

per

mo

nth

0

50

100

150

200

250

Rai

nfa

ll p

er m

on

th

in m

m

Units of ElectricityConsumed

Rainfall

Per KL units consumed and Rainfall

00.20.40.60.8

11.21.41.6

April08

May 08

June08

July08

Aug08

Sep08

Oct08

Nov08

Dec08

Jan09

Feb09

Month of the year

Un

its

per

mo

nth

0

50

100

150

200

250

Rai

nfa

ll p

er m

on

th

in m

m per KL units

Rainfall

Principles for Tariff SettingFinancial 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)

Principles for Tariff SettingDemand 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

Demand ManagementControl 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/-

Demand Management

Water Literate means Water responsibleEngage with the community

Communicate water issues, get the kids involvedEducate Community

Provide Data and InformationVoices for Water !!!!

Water Efficient DevicesTaps : 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 loadingBath Tubs : DON’T USE THEM (Bucket Bath ?)

Biome Environmental Trust

• Urban water and Groundwater research

• Engaging with Schools

• Urban and Rural Sanitation

Section 12A / 80G

Donate generously ;-)

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

A yielding recharge well !!

Rainwater sent for recharge

Recharging a bore wellOutlet pipe in recharge well

…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 etcb) Hardness – High hardness in groundwater. Health issues, Soaping, taste and stainsc) 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 groundwatere) 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

Good Ground Water Management :

A component of good water management

Demand & Catchment Management

Source and Supply Management (covered)

Waste Water Management

Waste Water Management

What goes around comes around

Bangalore Ground water has high nitrates (upto 100-150)

Waste Water you throw out comesBack into your borewell

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 ?

Dewats

Dewats with Grey water recycle

Reuse Waste Water (eg: Grey for flushing, Treated black/grey for irrigation)

And use the treated waste water to irrigateYour roof farm that produces food

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

The choice is yours:

Want to be part of the solution ?

or

Want to be part of the problem ?

Kunju Azhil, 57

Started digging surangas when was 16

Surangas of Kasargod

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 ?