Drinking Water Tenders in India; Their Types and Uses

Drinking water is vital to sustenance of human beings and it means water of high quality that could be consumed with low risk to health and well being. While in most of the developed countries the drinking water that is supplied for household consumptions are of required standards. It is the developing and underdeveloped countries that suffer from lack of quality drinking water. Providing drinking water is also one of the responsibilities of the governments in Center and States and that is why most of the drinking water tenders originate from these sources.

Indian Tenders for Drinking Water Supply
Indian tenders for drinking water can be broadly classified in the following categories depending on the locations; urban and rural.

Drinking Water Supply in Urban Areas
Indian tenders for drinking water supply in urban areas normally relate to the following sources.

• Supply of drinking water in urban area habitations that generally refers to providing pipe water supplies to households in the cities and towns for which a small sum towards water charges are collected.
• Usually large overhead tanks are erected at different sites and from there water is supplied either to the domestic overhead tanks or to the taps used in the households where there are no overhead tanks.
• Piped water supply in form of drinking water is also provided to different offices, public places and at specific distances on the roadsides for use by people while on the move or at work.
• Drinking water tenders are normally related in these sectors to laying of pipelines, maintain them, construction of tanks; and providing and maintaining electric motors for the purpose.

Drinking Water Provision in Rural Areas
In rural areas the Indian tenders for making provisions for drinking water are not normally pipe water and overhead tanks but other sources like tube well and drinking water well.

• Making provisions for drinking water in rural areas where only in a very few locations pipe water supplies could be provided and in these areas the major source of drinking water are the tube wells and drinking water wells.
• Most of the drinking water tenders in rural sectors come for installation, repair, and maintenance of tube wells and at times bore wells or drinking water wells.
• In a few place pipe water supplies using electric or diesel pump sets have been resorted to due to proximity of river or large streams to the locality.

Industrial and Transport Sector
Several drinking water tenders also originate from the upcoming industries where they require huge amount of drinking water for the employee colonies, offices, and workshops and in the plant area. Another important sector is the transport and communication sector, especially the Indian Railways that is the source of many Indian tenders on drinking water required to be installed in major stations for supply to trains and for individual uses in the station itself.

Three Types of Tenders

• Drinking water tenders would basically be of three types.
• Tenders for installation and construction of pipe water supply systems.
• Tenders for installation of tube wells and drinking water wells.
• Tenders for maintenance of either of the above two types.

Drinking water is a basic requirement for human sustenance and neither the requisitioning authorities nor the providing agencies can afford to come up with sub standard items as it may adversely affect the lives of thousands of people even due to the smallest lapse on their part.