As part of the CapaCITIES project supported by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, two acoustic water leak detection machines have been procured and handed over to Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The machines were handed over to the Corporation by ICLEI South Asia on the 8th of August 2017.

These acoustic water leak detection machines will help reduce the wastage of water from the leaks by pinpointing the leak in the water supply pipeline, even before a puddle is formed on the surface. The leaks, once detected and plugged will lead to decrease in water loss, thereby reducing the amount of electricity required for presently pumping additional water to account for the 25% unaccounted for water, which will in turn lead to reduction in GHG emissions.

A training (of three days) for officials of Siliguri Municipal Corporation was conducted in the use and handling of the machines by the suppliers- Taisei International. The training comprised of theoretical knowledge on the technology used in the machines and on ground use of the machines to detect the leaks. A total of 15 officials attended the training (which was organized from 8th- 10th August 2017). The trainees expressed their confidence in usage of the machines after the three day training and also appreciated the benefits of usage of the same.