LokmatNewsNetwork
Aurangabad, June 4:
It is ascertained that it will take two to three years to complete the new water supply scheme. Hence the administration is leaving no stone unturned to explore different water resources and lift an additional quantity of water from them. Accordingly, the MaharashtraJeevanPradhikaran(MJP) has prepared an estimate of Rs 40 lakh to lift 1 MLD of water from heritage ShakkarBaodi (well), situated on the campus of Himayat Baugh, and submitted it to the AurangabadMunicipalCorporation(AMC).
The divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar, district collector SunilChavan and AMC administrator A K Pandey have inspected the well recently.
It may be noted that the well has the credit of quenching the thirst of the citizens in 1972-73 when the old and tiny town was hit by a severe drought.
The well is 200 feet long and 100 feet wide. Presently, the water in it is utilised to maintain the sprawling Himayat Baugh, the city’s biggest eco-park, by FruitResearch Station, for the past many decades. However, it has come to notice that the well was not desilted for the past many years. Hence the functioning of natural fountains of water which exists in the well has been stopped.
To overcome the growing scarcity of water, the administration has decided to lift water from it and transport it to the filtration plant at RauzaBaugh and then supply it to the areas of the old city. Accordingly, the district administration directed MJP to prepare the estimate. Hence the officials prepared it on a war-footing basis and submitted it to the AMC. Accordingly, the AMC will re-submit it to the district collector for approval. Officially, the district administration will be acquiring the well. After taking over, the administration will desilt the well and try its best to revive the water resources to generate the quantity of water storage in it, said the sources.