Bengaluru, Dec 12: For the first time in its history, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) generated a revenue of Rs 107.71 crore in November, thanks to demonetisation of high-value notes.
In November, the board received 39,893 million litres of water from the reservoirs. Of this, 22,282 million litres of water consumption was billed, leaving 44.14% as Unaccounted for Water (UFW).
Based on the water consumed, the BWSSB expected Rs 94.51 crore revenue. But, the actual collection was Rs 107.71 crore, 13.96% more that the water consumed. “This could be due to payment of arrears and advance bill payment through scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, which was allowed by the Central government for a few days,” a BWSSB official said.
“The amount of revenue collected is not astronomically high. But, we know the increase in collection is because of demonetisation. We will come to know the result of our actual efforts only in December,” BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath said.
In the past, the BWSSB had introduced several initiatives including a rigorous arrears collection drive, fixing water metres and monitoring the billing system. But, the Board's efforts to increase its monthly revenue did not fetch positive results all these years.
As a result, the Board was not able to cross Rs 100 crore a month, which was its target for long.
The BWSSB's revenue was hovering around Rs 85 to Rs 90 crore a month in 2015. With the increase in the number of water connections, the monthly revenue crossed Rs 95 crore in 2016. In July and September 2016, the revenue stood at Rs 99 crore each, raising hopes on the BWSSB's efficiency.
Rs 130 cr is possible'
The BWSSB supplies 1,350 million litres per day (MLD) of water to 9 lakh domestic and non-domestic connections. Taking into account the total water supplied, it is estimated that the Board is able to collect at least Rs 130 crore every month. But, the target remains a distant dream mainly due to the Unaccounted for Water (UFW), which continues to stand at 44% of the total water supplied to the city.
“It is easily possible, over a period of time, to collect Rs 130 crore a month. This is a probable revenue realisation. For this, the BWSSB should work on reducing commercial losses (water metre theft, unauthorised connection) and physical losses (leakage in water pipes). While reducing physical losses takes time, it is possible to reduce commercial losses through efficient administration,” former BWSSB chief engineer M N Thippeswamy said.
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