Supply below targets, delayed leak repairs
The audit also found that per capita water supply in both cities fell well short of official targets.
In Bhopal, the municipal corporation claimed it supplied 135 litres per person per day in 2017-18, meeting its target. The CAG, however, calculated actual supply at only 122 litres. In Indore, officials reported supplying 105 litres per person per day against a target of 150 litres, but the audit estimated real supply at just 58 litres.
The report also noted that in 2018, around 143,000 households in Bhopal and 268,000 households in Indore did not have water connections at all.
The CAG investigation found long delays in responding to water leakages, which it linked directly to poor water quality and shortages. A total of 3,530 leakage cases were reported across the two cities — 657 in Bhopal and 2,873 in Indore.
Of 105 cases examined in detail, leak repairs were delayed by between 22 and 182 days. The time taken to issue work orders ranged from 38 to 178 days in Bhopal and from 20 to 151 days in Indore. Even after work orders were issued, repairs took between one and six days in Bhopal and one to 12 days in Indore.
The audit attributed these delays to the absence of annual maintenance contracts for leak repairs. Over five years, Bhopal spent Rs 1.55 crore on repairing leaks, while Indore spent Rs 14.83 crore.
Staff shortages were also flagged. As of 2018, Bhopal faced a 29 per cent shortfall in technical, field and office staff involved in water supply, while 18 per cent of sanctioned posts were vacant in Indore.