A research report on

“Provision of Drinking Tap

Water in Puri ”

Submitted to

*Professor Vivek Tanavde*

By

Group 1 | Section 8 | Water Studio FDP104

Individual Report Submission

 Name Enrolment No.

Chahat Negi AU2120130

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:-

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to Professor Vivek Tanavde who
provided me with this golden opportunity to work on a wonderful research topic – “Provision
of Safe Drinking Tap Water in Puri”.This research helped increase my knowledge and skills.

I would also like to thank the Teaching Assistants – Miss Sreelekshami Pillai and Miss Dania
Shaikh who mentored and guided me to accomplish the completion of the project.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:- PAGE

Abstract……………..……………………..1

Introduction…………….…..……...…...….2
Aims and objectives….….….….….….….. 3

Review of literature….…….………………4

1) (Analysis of water supply in Puri)……..4.1

2) (Advantages and disadvantages of water supply)........................................................ 4.2

3) (Plans for the future/future improvement)............................................. 4.3

Methodology/Materials and methods……...5

1) (In the past)............................................. 5.1

2) (Currently).............................................. 5.2

Data analysis / Observations/ Results and Discussion………………………………… 6

1) (WATCO and NRW)................................ 6.1

2) (Problems of NRW and how Puri dealt with them).............................................................

6.2

3) (Schemes that contributed to Puri's success and the project cost of schemes)...................6.3
Conclusion…………………………………7

Learnings…………………………………..8

References………………………………….9

Domain topics covered…………………….10

ABSTRACT:-

The provision and availability of safe drinking tap water alongside a system in place to
ensure its quality and credibility is an essential part of accomplishing the goal that the city of
Puri has achieved. Puri in Odisha has achieved the goal of 24x7 supply of potable tap water
across the city. It is the first ward in India to do so. This is a landmark achievement for Puri
and by looking into the workings of how it managed to do over the course of years can surely
help other areas across the country and the world to take inspiration from, comprehend and
work towards achieving the same. Understanding the various schemes such as the AMRUT
AND JNNURM schemes, looking into the process and methodology of the chain of action
from the source from where the water is obtained till the place where it is supplied and every
other process in between, looking into the contribution of the centralized treatment plant, the
purpose of the chlorine dosing systems and the water testing laboratory which ensures that
the water is in accordance with the ISO- 10500 standards, are all contributors to Puri's
success and this can help learn from and formulate the necessary plans and strategies to
achieve the goal of making potable drinking tap water completely accessible to all.

INTRODUCTION:-
The world famous Slovakian proverb:- 'Pure water is the world's first and foremost medicine'
still holds true even till this day. Pure water which is safe for consumption is an absolute
necessity for each and everyone, be it rich or poor. According to the WHO guidelines, the
current recommended limit of arsenic in drinking water is 10 μg/L and in certain parts of
India like West Bengal, Bihar, UP, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the arsenic limit in tap water
exceeds the guideline amount. This is certainly a matter of concern as arsenic itself is a
highly harmful and dangerous component. The problems arsenic can cause varies from acute
effects on health- such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain to life-long effects like-
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, skin lesions, lung and bladder cancer and even death. The
sole task of pipe installation will not simply suffice for the plight against unsafe drinking tap
water. Monitoring of water quality, filtration, disinfection and purification of water and of the
source from where the water is being supplied as well as the system from which it is being
distributed is critically essential for the provision of safe drinking tap water. This is precisely
what the city of Puri in Odisha has accomplished. Puri has recently become the first city in
India to achieve the goal of having access to 24×7 potable tap water. "Puri residents, tourists
and pilgrims can now drink water from taps across the city, be it at home or across the
drinking water fountains. It has been my dream to provide piped water to every household in
Odisha and this is now turning into a reality," stated Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of
Odisha. An assessment on the workings of how the city of Puri has managed to accomplish
this milestone can help evaluate and understand how other states and areas of the country of
India can too take inspiration from and work towards achieving maximum access to potable
tap water.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:-

● To understand and analyze the details of how the city of Puri in Odisha (India) has
managed to achieve and sustain the supply of safe drinking tap water throughout the
city.

● To look into the history, the current scenario and the future of the supply of potable
tap water in India.
 ● To evaluate and understand the benefits and advantages of the availability of safe
drinking tap water and why countries must aim to achieve maximum supply of it.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:-

ANALYSIS OF WATER SUPPLY IN PURI:-

Under the Sujal- Drink from tap mission, Bhargavi river is being used as the source from
where water is being drawn through a channel and the water is being held back in a reservoir
at Samango for utilizing it to supply to the city of Puri. Here, a single centralized treatment
plant is built where the water goes through several processes including chlorination before it
is ready to be supplied. In actuality, the plant purifies 42 million litres of water each day
though the water demand of Puri is approximately 32-34 million litres per day.

Certain advantages of supplying water include:-

● Individuals would save travel and waiting time for water collection.

● Due to provision of safe drinking tap water, there would be less dehydration which
would otherwise be a problem if there was lack of access to it.

● A variety of employment opportunities too can be generated in water provision.

● Provision of safe drinking water would ensure basic sanitation and hygiene which
would then reduce the various ailments caused by unclean tap water which is not fit
for consumption.
Certain disadvantages of water supply:-

● The water that is being supplied would need constant treatment and purification which
would create a charge on the resources, cost, time and energy of the country's assets.

● Constructing expensive and not so environmentally friendly dams may have an

adverse effect on the environment. For eg:- this may trigger earthquakes, this may
result in deterioration of aquatic habitats and species because of hydromorphological
pressures(caused by damming, embankments and channelisation), etc.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE/FUTURE IMPROVEMENT:-

The government of Odisha is not only going to stop at the city of Puri achieving 24x7
potable tap water but it also has plans to incorporate the ‘Sujal- drink from Tap’ mission for
almost the entire urban population soon. It plans to cover approximately 80% of the state's
urban population i.e. around 17 cities in Odisha by the month of October 2023. In fact, in
areas such as Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Baripada and more, the implementation of the
mission has already begun. To become the first state in India to have 24×7 piped drinking
water supply in every household is what Odisha as a state strives to achieve.

METHODOLOGY:-

IN THE PAST:-

In the Baliapanda area in Puri, groundwater that was drawn by massive pumps was the source
from where individuals received safe drinking water before the 'Sujal- drink from tap' water
scheme was put into action. Prior to being supplied to houses, the water was lifted to
overhead tanks and then chlorinated. Many individuals even had to boil and filter their water
which was drawn from hand pumps before consumption.
CURRENTLY:-

The government of Odisha focused and concentrated on ISO-10500 standards in terms of

quality water. To determine whether the water is safe and fit for drinking or not, around thirty
quality parameters help check the metal and chemical contents. Under the Sujal- Drink from
tap mission, Bhargavi river is being used as the source from where water is being drawn
through a channel and the water is being held back in a reservoir at Samango for utilizing it to
supply to the city of Puri. In this reservoir, a single centralized treatment plant which has a
capacity of 42 million litres per day has been built. Chlorine dosing systems with automated
programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have also been put in place. Here, the water goes
through several processes including chlorination before it is ready to be drawn out to the
tanks and reservoirs. The water is transported to Puri's underground reservoirs and overhead
tanks through a transmission pipeline after the treatment and purification of the water. From
the overhead tanks and underground reservoirs, the water which is now in accordance with
the ISO- 10500 standards is supplied throughout the city. To also verify the regular quality of
water and its credibility, a water testing laboratory furnished with modern testing facilities
has also been put in place.

DATA ANALYSIS / OBSERVATION/ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:-

WATCO AND NRW:-

In Odisha, for converting Intermittent Water Supply into Continuous Water Supply and
migration to surface water source (Bhargavi River) followed by execution of work,
installation of household connections and meters, comprehensive assessment of infrastructure
gap was carried out and zone wise Detailed Project Reports (DPR)s were prepared under the
'Sujal- drink from Tap’ Mission. Water Corporation of Odisha Limited (WATCO) which is a
fully government-owned company that is responsible for the operation and the maintenance
of water supply in the state, upscaled this to the whole of Puri city after the successful 24x7
operation of water supply in the pilot zones for approximately one year. The whole city of
Puri covers a population of 2.5 lakhs and has 32,300 house connections spread across 32
areas including 64 slum areas covering 66,000 slum populations, all of which are spread over
an area of 16.84 Sq. Km. Also, approximately 2 crore people visit Puri in a year and all of
these factors contributed to the main challenge of supplying drinking water to this large
population. Alongside this, the NRW- (Non-revenue water) which is the volume of water lost
as a share of net water produced, rate was around 54% which adversely had an impact on the
sustainability of 24x7 water supply, which too was a challenge.

PROBLEMS OF NRW AND HOW PURI DEALT WITH THEM:-

As a result, one of the main aims was to tackle the problem of NRW and hence:-

● House connection ferrule points were observed as the potential leaking points and
almost all house connection ferrules were replaced with saddle and compression
fittings.

● To carry out NRW activities, staff was trained continuously and even NRW
equipments were acquired.

● The establishment of an exclusive Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Cell took place in

WATCO.

By doing so, all these activities and actions ultimately resulted in the NRW reducing from
54% to 15% which was a testament to the fact that the water required in 24x7 water supply is
less than that of intermittent supply systems.

SCHEMES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO PURI'S SUCCESS AND THE PROJECT COST

OF SCHEMES:-
With prudence and patience, over the course of the past few years, the required infrastructure
has been built up by the State Government using both funds from the centre as well as the
state. DMAs- (district metered areas) which are small clusters of water users with a provision
to individually monitor the water supplied and consumed for the purpose of leakage
management, were an essential element and part of the project. In total, Rs. 1840/ is the per
capita cost observed for the installation and formation of the flow control valves, pressure
reducing valves, replacement of house service connections with water meter, bulk flow
meters and DMAs. Rs. 8,960/- is the per capita cost in terms of the project cost incurred for
creating infrastructure under JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission)
and AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) with DMAs
formation. AMRUT and JNNURM are schemes to facilitate ease of living to citizens in over
500 cities by providing tap connections and sewer connections. The AMRUT scheme is a
successor of the JNNURM.
CONCLUSION:-

Clean, safe and healthy water is an essential and basic necessity of life. Without it, one cannot even fathom
to go about their daily business, let alone survive. Even the UN recognizes water as an elementary human
right that everyone should have the access to. The city of Puri has commendably achieved a milestone for
setting an example from which other areas nationally and even internationally can look up to and take
inspiration from but simply taking inspiration from wouldn't suffice. Execution and unification of minds
together are the key components that can make this possible. This being established, India as a country still
has a very long way to go before it can be established as a nation where safe drinking tap water is available
from the hills of Kashmir to the beach of Kanyakumari and everywhere in between. Unsafe drinking tap
water has adverse effects on one's health and is one of the major root causes for many diseases in India. To
eradicate disease caused by unclean water and scarcity of safe drinking tap water, essential, effective and
efficient steps towards implementing a proper system of water supply across the country, in every area,
need to be taken.
LEARNINGS:-

● Safe, purified and filtered water is an essential requirement which should be available to all.

● Provision and establishment of water supply systems has its own set of pros and cons, however the
pros outnumber the cons at large.

● The city of Puri in Odisha, achieving the current process and technique of filtration, water
treatment and 24x7 supply of potable tap water with the given resources is a testament to the fact
that other areas in the state, country and abroad can also achieve this.

● Schemes like AMRUT AND JNNURM proved to be extremely helpful in contributing to Puri's
success of potable drinking tap water.

REFERENCES:-

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Arsenic. World Health Organization. Retrieved May 10,
2022, from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic#:~:text=Contaminated
%20water%20used%20for%20drinking,with%20cardiovascular%20disease%20and
%20diabetes.

Tap it for India: Puri's tap water is safe to drink. when will the rest of the country get there?
Times of India Blog. (2021, July 27). Retrieved May 10, 2022, from
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-editorials/tap-it-for-india-puris-tap-water-
is-safe-to-drink-when-will-the-rest-of-the-country-get-there/
Puri first city in the country to supply clean drinking water 24x7. Hindustan Times. (2021,
August 1). Retrieved May 10, 2022, from
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/how-puri-became-the-first-indian-city-
to-supply-clean-drinking-water-24-hours-a-day-101627829482818-amp.html

Suffian, M. (2021, August 3). How odisha govt managed to implement drink-from-tap
mission in Puri. India Today. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/odisha/story/how-odisha-govt-managed-implement-
drink-from-tap-mission-puri-1835943-2021-08-02

Government of lndia - mohua.gov.in. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2022, from

https://mohua.gov.in/pdf/5ed0d0a19aae7Final-Advisory%20on%20Control%20Valves
%20for%20Water%20Supply%20Systems.pdf

DOMAIN TOPICS COVERED:-

1. GOVERNMENT – The state government’s role in the provision, treatment and

distribution of safe drinking tap water to Puri.
2. BEHAVIOUR – The response of the population to this new campaign. The change in
old traditional behaviours and adaptation of novel ones.
3. DATA – Organisation of data. Example- The population of the city and the amount of
water which is treated and supplied daily.
4. COMMUNICATION – Research, Class Presentation, Class Discussion and
Conclusion.