City’s wait for 24X7 water supply to end soon

Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 9

After jumping two deadlines, the Municipal Corporation is all set to complete the work on phase 5 and 6 of the Kajauli water pipeline project by February 20. The project will pave the way for providing 24/7 water supply to the city residents.

The work of desilting the water connecting tank along the Bhakra main line is being done on a war footing. Later, the engineering department will connect the tank with the two additional pipelines, which will carry additional 40 MGD water to Chandigarh.

Panchkula and Chandimandir will also get their share from the additional water. Mayor Rajesh Kumar Kalia, accompanied by former Mayor Arun Sood and other councillors, reviewed the project at the site today.

Harish Saini, Executive Engineer, said removing silt from the water connecting tank using a super suction machine would be completed by tomorrow.

The Mayor said GMADA officials had been told to be prepared for testing of 16 pumping stations by February 14 as by then the work on intake connection of pipelines would be completed. On February 20, the final trial for supplying raw water from Kajauli and Jandpur to the Sector 39 waterworks would be held.

The pumping machinery at Jandpur has been tested. Electricity connection has also been released. The pump house is fully functional. The work on a 15 MGD water treatment plant, raw water storage tanks and underground reservoir is completed at the Sector 39 waterworks. 

With the completion of the project, the city will get additional 29 MGD water. Presently, the city is receiving 87 MGD water supply. Out of this, 68 MGD comes from Kajauli canal. The rest is generated through tubewells.

NP Sharma, Superintending Engineer, Public Health Department, said the additional water supply would meet the water demand of the city for the next 30 years.

MC spent Rs 300 cr on project

The MC has spent around Rs 300 crore on the project. While around Rs 196 crore were given to GMADA for laying the pipelines and other works, the civic body spent Rs 23 crore on setting up a water supply line from Kajauli to the Sector 39 waterworks and Rs 18 crore on a water treatment plant. Rs 45 crore have been spent at Jandpur.

Deadlines missed 

• The project has already missed two deadlines. 
• MC officials had first assured UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore that the work would be completed by April 30, 2018, when he had visited the site in February last year. 
• Later, the deadline was shifted to October.