Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The citizens are getting water in their taps on a gap of 8-10 days. Hence to reduce this gap in water supply, an independent water pipeline of size 900 mm was laid last year by spending Rs 200 crore. However, the water treatment plant required for it was not built. The work of the same plant has now been completed and the testing of the same will be undertaken from August 6. If all goes well, the city will get an additional 26 MLD quantity of water through this pipeline. Moreover, the gap in water supply would also be reduced to atleast 5-6 days.
A new water supply project worth ₹2,740 crore is currently underway to address the city’s growing water needs. However, due to delays in the project, a 900 mm diameter pipeline was urgently laid last year from Jayakwadi to the Nakshatrwadi pump house to ensure water availability. Surprisingly, the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) had initially overlooked the need to build a new 26 MLD water treatment plant along with the pipeline. This facility has now recently been completed and connected to both the new and old treatment plants at Pharola.
Trial run from Wednesday
Water was introduced into the new treatment plant on Monday, and trial operations are set to begin from Wednesday. If any issues arise during testing, they will be addressed immediately, said MJP officials. The trial period is expected to last at least eight days, after which treated water will be supplied to the city.
Water supply to increase by 26 MLD
Currently, the city receives around 140 MLD of water through 700 mm, 900 mm, and 1200 mm pipelines. With the addition of the new treatment facility, the supply is expected to increase by 26 MLD, bringing the total to around 160–165 MLD. This could potentially reduce the current 10-day water supply cycle to 5 or 6 days, improving water availability for citizens. Despite this improvement, the city’s total water demand stands at 250 MLD, meaning a significant gap still remains.