Manual on operation and maintenance of water supply systems - CPHEEO (MoUD)

This manual has been developed by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO), a department under the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) and is intended primarily for the managers and technicians in-charge of the O & M of the urban drinking water supply systems.

The aim of the manual is to serve as a guide for strengthening the technical, operational and managerial capabilities required of the concerned personnel to operate and maintain water supply services as per acceptable norms of quantity, quality, sustainability, reliability and cost.

Experience has shown that lack of attention to O & M of water supply schemes in several towns in India often leads to deterioration of the systems, necessitating premature replacement of many system components as well as wastage of valuable financial resources. Quality of services as well as consumer satisfaction have also been identified as  important components of O & M services, that continue to be ignored.

 Some of the key issues contributing to the poor O & M have been identified as follows:

• Lack of finance, inadequate data on O & M
• Inappropriate system design and inadequate workmanship
• Multiplicity of agencies, overlapping responsibilities
• Inadequate training of personnel
• Lesser attraction of maintenance jobs in career planning
• Lack of performance evaluation and regular monitoring
• Inadequate emphasis on preventive maintenance
• Lack of operation manuals
• Lack of appreciation of the importance of facilities by the community
• Lack of real time field information etc.

 In recent years,  an urgent need has thus been identified for a modification in the policy framework for effective O & M of water services to improve quality of services and prevent wastage of resources.

This manual provides systematic guidelines that aim at improving the O & M services and has been divided into the following chapters that provide the details such as the background, operation, functioning, maintenance and safety considerations of all the technical aspects related to water supply O & M:

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