Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
In compliance with court directions, a team of lawyers inspected the water treatment plant (WTP) at Nakshatrawadi on Tuesday afternoon. The inspection revealed that only minor works remain pending, and the team instructed that these be completed at the earliest. Municipal Commissioner G Sreekanth and Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) chief engineer Manisha Palande were present during the visit.
Water from the Jayakwadi Dam was first drawn into the jackwell, and from March 23, it began flowing through the 2,500 mm diametre pipeline. Water has now been pushed through over 15 km of the pipeline. Testing was halted for four days due to a welding fault at Karkin, but the issue has since been resolved. The court had earlier directed all lawyers associated with the new water supply scheme to inspect the facility, leading to Tuesday’s joint visit by officials and legal representatives.
The team conducted a detailed inspection of the WTP, including filter beds and the MBR system. Among those present were senior legal expert R N Dhorde (GVPR Company), Vinod Patil and Amol Wasmatkar (MJP), Sambhaji Tope (Municipal Corporation), court-appointed amicus curiae Shambhuraje Deshmukh, original petitioner Amit Mukhedkar, and chief government pleader Amarjitsingh Girase.
Water reaches near Pharola
Welding and ultrasonic testing of the pipeline were completed. At 3 pm, two 3,700 HP pumps at Jayakwadi Dam were activated, compared to a single pump used earlier. The trial with two pumps was successful, and operations continued until 6.59 pm. Water progressed beyond Karkin and reached near Pharola without any technical issues.
Officials stated that testing will continue with two pumps on Wednesday as well. At this pace, water is expected to reach Nakshatrawadi within the next five to six days.