Finally, work begins on 24x7 drinking water supply project in Ludhiana city

Nitin Jain

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Ludhiana, July 22

Finally, the work has begun for the Rs 3,394.45-crore 24×7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project to quench the thirst of the industrial capital of the state, officials have confirmed.

The Municipal Corporation (MC) has awarded the work to a Mumbai-based joint venture company (JVC) at Rs 1,546-crore.

The development assumes significance as the ambitious project was conceived during the previous Capt Amarinder Singh regime in 2021.

MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi told The Tribune here on Monday that Kalpataru Projects International Limited (KPTL) Ohitan JV has been mandated to complete the project on design-build services (DBS) basis within 36 months from the date of award, which was July 10, and undertake the operation and maintenance (O&M) services for the next 10 years.

He said the execution of the work on the DBS had been awarded at Rs 1,305.31 crore, O&M services at Rs 156.44-crore and a provisional sum of Rs 84.25 lakh has been provided to the concessionaire for undertaking the project.

“After accepting the bid, which was the lowest among the four received for the project, the letter of acceptance has been issued to the successful bidder on July 10,” Rishi revealed while informing that the firm had begun survey ground work, besides channelising its human resource and machinery here.

The MC chief said the scheme would be executed in two phases with the first phase comprising raw water system, water treatment plant, treated water pumping, transmission mains from water treatment plant to overhead service reservoirs and the second part consisting distribution system and house service connection with metering process.

“As of now, the work on the first phase will be executed with the WB support while the second part work will be taken up subsequently under other schemes,” he said.

Under the project, as many as 137 overhead supply reservoirs (OHSRs) and 173-km-long transmission main lines will supply 24×7 canal-based surface drinking water supply to residents of Ludhiana.

“The objective of the project is to shift from groundwater to surface water while supplying the essential commodity on a 24×7 basis,” he said.

Rishi said 53.02 acres located just adjacent to the proposed raw water source in Bilga village had already been purchased for setting up the WTP.

The WB and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) had approved $105 million dollar each in financial support for the ambitious project in March 2021.

The WB and the AIIB had in March last approved their respective 35 per cent financial aid share of $105-million dollar each for the Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP) to strengthen the urban services in Ludhiana and Amritsar, the two largest cities in the state. The remaining 30 per cent share, which amounts to $90-million, will be borne by the state government.

Salient Features

Salient features of Phase I works include design of per capita water supply at 150 litres per capita daily (LPCD), raw water source from a distributary from the Sidhwan canal, construction of 580-MLD capacity WTP at Bilga village, laying of 173-km-long transmission mainline of 150 mm to 2,000 mm and 55 new OHSRs.

The resolution for volumetric water tariff had been approved by the MC General House on November 10, 2020, while the state government on August 24, 2022, had notified the setting up of the seven-member WSS utility, headed by the Local Government Secretary as its chairman and the PMIDC CEO and MC Commissioner as the directors.

The overall scheme cost of Rs 3,394.45-crore, Phase I works will cost Rs 1,252.51-crore, including land cost, while the Phase II projects will be undertaken at the cost of 2,141.94 crore, including Rs 700 crore for 10 years of operation and maintenance.

3-million beneficiaries

A major focus of the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Improvement Project (PMSIP) will be on providing efficient water supply and sanitation services in Ludhiana and Amritsar, cities that are the engines of economic growth for the state. The improvements in the water supply will benefit over 3 million people by 2027 and an estimated 5 million projected population in 2055. Industrial and commercial users would also benefit from the good quality reliable water supply.

It was on the recommendation of the then Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government that the project was approved by the Union Ministry of Finance’s Department of Economic Affairs and was posed to the WB and the AIIB for external financing.

Then Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan had assigned the PMIDC under the Local Government department to initiate the PMSIP aimed at improving service delivery in Ludhiana and Amritsar by strengthening municipal governance finance and service delivery systems and capacities for the project with technical and financial support of the WB and AIIB financing.

To replace contaminated water in city

At present, Ludhiana and Amritsar draw their water by pumping out groundwater from hundreds of bore-wells dug up across the two cities. Pumping groundwater directly from these bore-wells leads to significant water loss and wastage as households are not incentivised to save. Studies have also revealed that Ludhiana’s groundwater was contaminated with nitrates and other heavy metals while Amritsar district’s with arsenic.

Future plan

The project will shift water supply from rapidly depleting and highly contaminated groundwater sources, to a centralised treatment plant drawing water from local canals (surface water sources). The shift was likely to have significant health benefits, studies have shown.

Funding pattern

The project will finance all new raw water systems, water treatment plants, transmission systems and reservoirs to supply clean water to cover entire cities under the DBOT contract. The DBOT operator will manage the operations and maintenance of these water supply systems under the direct supervision of the municipal corporations in the two cities through city-level water utilities.

The project will also provide sub-grants to all municipal corporations in the state to finance critical non-medical interventions that address impacts of the Covid crisis and to improve their readiness to tackle disasters.

“It is the much-needed project for Ludhiana, where the groundwater table is depleting by 0.5 to 1 meter every year. By getting the quality potable water round-the-clock, local residents would also get respite from heavy metals and radioactive elements present in the groundwater. It would also improve the health conditions of the city population.” said Sandeep Rishi, MC Commissioner.