Ludhiana: Year on, drinking water supply project report awaits WB nod

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 1

The wait for the much-awaited 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project in Ludhiana is getting longer as the World Bank (WB) has not yet approved the detailed project report (DPR) of the Rs3,394.45-crore ambitious project to quench the thirst of the industrial capital of the state.

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

Even as the land required for the project had also been acquired four months back, the revised DPR sent by the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) was still awaiting formal nod from the WB.

Confirming the development, the Municipal Corporation (MC) Additional Commissioner, Aditya Dachalwal, told The Tribune, here on Friday, “The PMIDC has sent the revised DPR to the World Bank for approval, which is still awaited.” He said the tender for the project would be floated following the WB nod to the DPR, which was expected anytime.

In November last, a chunk of 54 acres in Bilga village was bought from landowners to set up the water treatment plant (WTP) while the revised request for proposal (RFP) was sent to the WB for approval.

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

Sharing details, the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, Varinder Kumar Sharma, told The Tribune, the objective of the project was to shift from groundwater to surface water for quenching the thirst of Ludhiana residents on a 24x7 basis.

He said the surface water supply scheme would be executed in two phases, comprising raw water system, the WTP, treated water pumping, transmission mains from the WTP to overhead service reservoirs (OHSRs) and constructing OHSRs in the first leg while Phase II would entail distribution system and house service connection with metering.

Divulging the current status of the project, the MC Commissioner, Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal, said, “Phase I works will be executed by the civic body with the support of the World Bank while Phase II works will be taken up subsequently under other schemes.”

He said the 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 Sidhwan canal, construction of 580-MLD capacity WTP at Bilga village, laying of 175-180-km-long transmission mainline of 150 mm to 2,000 mm and 55 new OHWRs.

MC Additional Commissioner Aditya Dachalwal said the land acquired for WTP, located near Bilga village, was adjacent proposed raw water source of distributary from Sidhwan canal.

He said the resolution for volumetric water tariff had been approved by the MC general House on November 10. The MC general House on November 1 had approved the setting up of WSS utility, he added.

The MC Commissioner disclosed that of the overall scheme cost of Rs3,394.45-crore, Phase I works would cost Rs1,252.51-crore, including land cost, while the Phase II projects wouldl be undertaken at the cost of Rs2,141.94 crore, including Rs700 crore for 10 years of operation and maintenance.

Over 3 million to benefit

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 Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Corporation (PMIDC) under the Local Government Department, to initiate the PMSIP aimed at improving service delivery in Ludhiana and Amritsar by strengthening municipal governance finance, systems and capacities for this project with technical and financial support of the WB and the AIIB financing.

A major focus of the project will be on providing efficient water supply and sanitation services in Ludhiana and Amritsar, the cities that are the engines of economic growth for the state. The improvements in the water supply will benefit more than three million people in 2025 and an estimated 5-million projected population in 2055. Industrial and commercial users would also benefit from the good quality reliable water supply.

Project under WB review

The land for the WTP and other ancillaries was acquired after being reviewed at the level of the World Bank for conducting social and environmental studies. The RFP to engage contractors on design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) basis has also been forwarded to the WB for approval, following which tenders will be floated likely by next month.

Present status

Presently, Ludhiana and Amritsar draw their water by pumping out groundwater from hundreds of borewells dug up across the two cities. Pumping groundwater directly from these borewells 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). This shift is 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 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 the Municipal Corporations in Punjab to finance critical non-medical interventions that address impacts of the Covid crisis and to improve their readiness to tackle disasters.

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