Through this ambitious project, the aim is to make Dakshina Kannada the first district in Karnataka to have a volumetric water meter for every household.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
For further strengthening the rural drinking water supply in Dakshina Kannada, the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department has approved a ₹49.40 crore action plan for implementing a cent per cent volumetric water metering and billing system in the district during 2026-27, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, Narwade Vinayak Kharbari.
The External Aided Project (EAP) action plan has been approved under the World Bank-assisted Karnataka Sustainable Rural Water Supply Program, he said in a statement.
Under the action plan approved, ₹23.10 crore has been allocated for installing water meters in 61,610 taps in all the gram panchayats of the district and ₹17.91 crore for fixing bulk water meters in 2,559 water reservoirs.
In addition to this, ₹2.45 crores has been allotted for the repair of 14,456 water meters under a single village scheme modernisation project, ₹3 lakhs for the installation of 20 smart energy meters, ₹15 lakhs for the revival of 20 pure drinking water units, ₹2.16 crore for setting up three water quality testing laboratories, ₹2.58 crore for the revival of 86 over head tanks, ₹84 lakhs for the development and declaration of 28 villages as 24×7 water supply villages, and ₹17 lakhs for social audit and IEC (Information, Education and Communication) activities.
Through this ambitious project, the aim is to make Dakshina Kannada the first district in Karnataka to have a volumetric water meter for every household. The next step is to implement a 100% volumetric water billing system across the district, making Dakshina Kannada the first district in Karnataka and the country to fully adopt a volumetric water billing system, the CEO said.
Mr. Kharbari said that the volumetric metering and billing system is not just a system for proper billing based on water consumption, but its main objective is to create awareness among the public about water consumption, promote water conservation, contribute to the proper and scientific management of available water resources, and ensure the long-term sustainability of water supply systems.
The CEO said that with accurate information on the amount of water used by each household, water consumption accounting would improve, and it would be possible to identify and control water leakage and unnecessary consumption. In the future, this system would also be an important basis for effectively managing and expanding the 24×7 continuous drinking water supply system.
The works already undertaken pursuant to the Jal Jeevan Mission are being further strengthened step by step through the EAP Action Plan, and Dakshina Kannada district is being led towards the goal of providing “adequate, quality, continuous, and sustainable drinking water to every household,” Mr. Kharbari said.
Through this, a significant step is being taken to make the entire system, from water supply to water consumption, in Dakshina Kannada district technology-based, transparent, and sustainable, he added.
Published – August 16, 2026 06:55 pm IST
