City water supply project to be completed by December 2026

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The city’s long-awaited water supply project is now expected to be completed by December 2026, according to officials. Until then, the city will continue to depend on existing 1200mm, 700mm, and 900mm pipelines to meet its daily water needs.

A recently laid 900mm pipeline, costing Rs 200 crore, is supplying only 26 MLD (Million Liters per Day) of additional water far below the expected 75 MLD due to technical constraints. This shortfall may lead to continued water scarcity for the next 18 to 24 months, as population and demand rise. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Divisional Commissioner Dilip Gavade acknowledged the distribution challenges, accompanied by senior officials from the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and the Municipal Corporation.

No contractor change, work to continue

Chief Engineer Manisha Palande stated that replacing the contractor mid-project is not feasible. Although penalties or notices appear viable on paper, they are impractical at this stage. The current contractor has agreed to continue as per the approved roadmap, aiming for completion by end-2026. Between 2015 and 2020, the civic body laid 120 km of new pipelines, but many were not officially recorded. As a result, the city still lacks a daily water delivery system. From 2022 to 2024, water was supplied every five days. Frequent pipeline breakages especially in the 1200mm and 700mm lines linked to ongoing work on the new 2500mm main line have added to the disruption.

Only 85% population gets water

Currently, 85% of residents are receiving water supply, while the remaining 15% continue to face shortages. Engineers believe that if the full 75 MLD from the 900mm pipeline becomes operational, the city’s supply gap will be significantly reduced.

Current water scenario

Total connections: 1.28 lakh

Daily supply: 130 MLD

Daily requirement: 280 MLD

The new 900mm pipeline's Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is still under construction. Once ready, it will replace the old 700mm pipeline and provide 140 MLD. However, switching over requires a complete shutdown a move not feasible at present due to dependency on existing lines.