Chandigarh: 3 months after inauguration, 24x7 water supply still a pipe dream in Manimajra
Union home minister Amit Shah had inaugurated the project three months ago amid much fanfare, but seamless supply has yet to reach residents
Over three months have passed since Union home minister Amit Shah inaugurated the 24x7 fresh water supply pilot project in Manimajra with great fanfare, yet residents are still waiting for the promised round-the-clock water supply.
Despite the project’s high-profile launch on August 4, the Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSL) and municipal corporation have yet to deliver on the commitment.
The project, being executed under the Smart City Mission, is aimed at transforming the area’s water supply from an intermittent to a continuous system. However, according to CSCL, uninterrupted supply is still at least four months away.
Residents decry erratic supply, dirty water
In the meantime, apart from the delayed project, Manimajra residents continue to face an unreliable water supply, grappling with erratic schedules, low pressure and dirty water.
KL Aggarwal, president, Modern Housing Complex (Duplex) RWA, Manimajra, said, “The project is a flop show as we are not getting 24x7 supply. Even when supply is provided in the morning and evening, the water is muddy and not fit for drinking. The duplex houses are troubled even more, as the water is supplied at low pressure. We have written multiple letters to CSCL and have even sought project details and status, but to no avail. The city roads are dug up, but MC is causing delays in fixing the new pipelines.”
Another resident, Swati Sharma, said, “We are getting more water supply than usual in Shanti Nagar, but the quality and pressure of water is unsatisfactory. There are no fixed timings of water supply and it is causing immense problems. Promises were made, inaugurations were done, but nothing changed on the ground. The officials continue to say that they are still laying pipelines and work is in progress. Then why was the project inaugurated?”
Meanwhile, MC officials from the engineering department said, “As per the plan, the Manimajra area has been strategically divided into four distinct zones for final settings and connections to the new water supply network. At present, water pipelines are being fixed in these district zones, but with Manimajra having an aged network of pipes, it is difficult to detect the supply chain and streamline it as per the four zones. Meanwhile, water is being supplied for 12-14 hours daily. But it will take at least four to six months to streamline the process and get the desired results.”
Endless wait for 1 lakh residents
Once the pilot project is complete, it is expected to benefit over 1 lakh residents in Manimajra, including the Modern Housing Complex, Shivalik Enclave, Indira Colony, Shastri Nagar and old Manimajra.
The ₹165-crore project has two components — capital work (construction) and installation of water meters. While around ₹74 crore will be spent on the capital works, around ₹91 crore have been set aside for maintenance over the next 15 years.
As part of the project, two underground water reservoirs (UGRs), each with a capacity of 2 MGD (million gallons per day), have been constructed by CSCL.
Besides, 13,700 water meters in Manimajra have been replaced with ultrasonic smart water meters to ensure a smart billing system.
Decreasing non-revenue water (NRW) or water leakage from current around 38% to 15% is a major goal of this project. Sensors in the supply system will measure water consumption, water levels and water flow rates on a real-time basis. The smart meters will provide consumers with data to help them monitor their usage and reduce costs, and also allow remote monitoring and billing.
Notably, to execute the project, MC has taken a loan of ₹412 crore from French government’s Agence Francaise de Developpement, to be repaid in 15 years. MC expects to cover the entire city by December 2029, following which it will start repaying the loan by hiking the water tariff.