While the Local Self Government Department has asked the city corporation to pay arrears of water charges due to the Kerala Water Authority, the tussle between the two agencies on the number of water taps in the city still continues.
According to the KWA, there are 5,928 public taps within corporation limits and the authority charges `5,256 on each tap annually.
However, according to the civic body, the actual number is around 4,000.
A recent study conducted for the corporation by Rajagiri Outreach — the service wing of the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences — shows that the total number of public taps in the corporation area is 4,106 of which 318 are already defunct. It also points that eight percent of the taps are faulty and cause wastage of water.
When the corporation’s sick exchequer is hard hit by the huge expenses incurred from water supply through tanker lorries, it is forced to pay even for non-existing and defunct public taps.
In addition to water supply, the civic body also pays for repairing damaged pipelines and roads trenched for relaying pipelines.
Disagreeing with the arguments of the KWA, Soumini Jain, chairperson of the works standing committee said, “The authority is charging the corporation for non-existing and defunct taps.”
On the basis of the survey report, councillors have been asked to submit details of water taps in their division and the total number of families depending on piped water.
The corporation plans to cut less used public taps to save money. “Many public taps are being widely misused by hoteliers, workshops and service centres,” added Ms Jain.