Greater Noida authority to upgrade water pumps for better drinking water

GREATER NOIDA: The Greater Noida authority has decided to upgrade the city’s 208 water pump houses for improving the quality of drinking water supplied to the households, officials said.

The step came following residents’ complaints of poor water quality.

Currently, the authority stores and supplies water to households and industrial areas with the help of these water pumping houses located at different areas. These pumps extract the ground water, store it and then supply the same to the households through water pipelines laid out in all areas including residential and industrial, said officials on Sunday.

“We aim to upgrade each of the 208 water pump houses so that they work in tandem with the technology and ensure that the water supply stays smooth and uninterrupted. We have a target to upgrade the water pumps as soon as possible,” said Prerna Singh, additional chief executive officer, Greater Noida authority.

The upgradation will involve installing censors, and devices that will enable the pump houses to work automatically in the time of need. As of now two pump houses have been put on automation mode and they will function or stop automatically without human help, officials informed.

“After upgrading, the pump will shut itself when the tank is filled with water and an alarm will also sound a bell in case of any technical fault. This will help to further improve water supply and also, the cost of maintenance of these pump houses will be less than before that was with the manual method. About ₹2 lakh have been spent on two model pump houses of Sector 37. All pump houses like Sector 37 will be upgraded at the earliest,” said Singh.

Besides, the pump houses built for water supply in the city will also adorn a new look.

The water department of Greater Noida authority has made the pump house located in Sector 37 attractive by giving it a new look. Similarly, the rest of the pump houses will also be developed.

“Equipping pump houses with automation systems will also help in water supply and reduce maintenance costs. As of now the authority deploys at least two people to take care of the pump day and night. After automation, the authority will not depend on manual systems… the quality and delivery of water will improve,” said a Greater Noida authority official aware of the matter.

The step came after NG Ravi Kumar, CEO, Greater Noida authority, directed ACEO Singh to repair all pump houses of the city.

Following a visit to the pump houses, Singh directed the water department to first upgrade the pump house located in sector 37.

The authority has to supply 210 MLD (million litres per day) of drinking water. But many residents from different areas including Beta 1, 2 , 3, Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 complain of poor water quality and supply issues. They complain of poor water pressure and frequent bursts in rusty water pipes.

“We pay our water bills regularly but the authority fails to deliver the quality water supply. We have written to the authority many times but the authority is yet to address the issues,” said Harendra Bhati, founder member of active citizen team and resident of sector Beta 1.

Consumers with plots up to 60 sqm pay ₹173 monthly, with plots sized 61-120 sqm pay ₹286 monthly, and those with plots between 121-200 sqm pay ₹516 monthly. For plots of 201-350 sqm, the monthly made to pay ₹856.

Water charges for institutional, commercial and industrial plots vary, ranging from ₹150 to ₹72,757 per month for plots measuring between 100 sqm to 61 acres.