Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
To provide additional water supply to the city, a new water treatment plant with a capacity of 26 MLD has been constructed at Pharola. Testing of this plant began on Thursday. However, on the very first day, officials from the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) faced a setback during testing. Shockingly, it was found that the water entering the plant was flowing backward through the water pipeline. As a result, testing was stopped, and efforts began to fix the technical flaws. It is currently uncertain how long these repairs will take. But as of now, it is unlikely that the city will receive additional water by August 15.
Work handed to experienced authority
MJP officials and staff are known to have vast experience in working on water supply projects. That’s why the government entrusted them with the task of implementing a ₹2740 crore new water supply project. However, several major shortcomings have now become apparent in this project as well. To ensure that the city receives additional water until the new water supply scheme is completed, a 900 mm diameter pipeline from Jayakwadi to Nakshatrawadi was laid at a cost of ₹200 crore. However, MJP had not built the required water treatment plant at that time.
After a wait of one and a half years, the plant has finally been completed. Testing for the 26 MLD water supply began on Thursday, but it was found that the water was flowing in reverse. Due to multiple issues in treating the water, testing had to be halted. No testing could be carried out on Friday either, as the team was busy resolving the problems identified on Thursday. Officials said that testing will resume soon.
Additional water before August 15 seems unlikely
For the testing process, MJP had shut down the 700 mm and 900 mm pipelines, which led to a reduction in the city’s water supply. It was earlier expected that the city would start receiving 26 MLD of additional water before August 15. However, due to the failure of the initial testing, it now seems unlikely that the additional water supply will begin any time soon.