New Delhi: Highlighting the importance of the role of municipalities for water supply, Mehnaz Ansari of USTDA stressed on effective cost management. She was speaking in the inaugural of virtual ‘Global Water Management Conclave’ organised by APAC Digital News Network. The conclave was supported by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, National Water Mission & Namami Gange, Government of India as the Host Partners. The one day virtual knowledge sharing platform saw the presence of India’s top water policymakers, global water experts, representative of water tech industry.
I am primarily working for the Smart City projects of India and water management is a crucial aspect of it. We ensure that we take local perspective into consideration while drawing international inferences and implementing wherever applicable,’ said Mehnaz.
She further added, ‘we have worked with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in which we ensured planned water management to fulfill the demand of the city and surrounding towns and villages for water treatment and reuse of water. We realised that while water supply has increased, we have become dependent on the technology to get that water.’
Talking about the challenge, she highlighted the problems related to managing the cost which involves in water management.
‘While at one hand water, as a natural resource, should be free for all, on the other hand, the cost of providing clean water cannot be compromised. The municipalities have to ensure better cost management to ensure supply of quality water. Scalability is the key. Adequate planning and utilising digital and technology platforms can help deal with the challenging areas,’ added Mehnaz.
Website: apacnewsnetwork.com/gwmc
