Ghaziabad: GMC has yet to roll out its water SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system ahead of summer, despite announcing the project last year to strengthen water infrastructure and reduce losses.The water works department produces 347 MLD, but 25 to 30% of the water, that is, 112 MLD, is lost due to pipeline leakages and other factors.“SCADA was introduced as a pilot project in Indirapuram and Kavinagar zones. It did help us cut down water loss,” said a water works department official. “However, introducing a new system like this one is a long-drawn process. It involves tendering and groundwork, which takes time. It is most unlikely that we will be able to implement the new system by this summer.”GMC has a water pipeline of 2,400 km underground and overground. The pipeline, when it leaves underground and overhead water reservoirs, is about 25 inches in diameter, which reduces to about 4 inches when it reaches households.“Water leakages in such a vast network are common, and over the years, we have used traditional methods to fix leakages, and most of the time, we relied on complaints,” he said.The official added that with SCADA, they could control water loss by about 90%. The system, fitted with sensors, detects leakages in the pipeline and tubewells and gives an alert in case of malfunction of machines. This can be monitored in the control room, and a dedicated team can start work precisely at the point of water leakage, irrespective of the fact that the pipeline is underground or overground.More than 80% of GMC’s water needs are met through underground sources and the rest from surface water sources through Ganga water.According to the national compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India 2024, prepared by the Central Ground Water Board, the rate of extraction of groundwater was 124.04%, which means that the rate of groundwater extraction is more than that of replenishment.The water demand in the city is 135 L per capita per day. GMC has about 6 lakhs consumers, and for the civic body to meet their water demand, it not only needs to augment its water production but also cut down on water loss.
