E-Paper
Chandigarh MC sets Jan 31 deadline for 24x7 water supply in Manimajra
Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit had laid the foundation stone for the pilot project on November 13, 2021
The Chandigarh municipal corporation has set a deadline of January 31, 2024, for completion of the pilot 24x7 water supply project in Manimajra.
UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit had laid the foundation stone for the pilot project on November 13, 2021. Two years later, around 85% work is complete. The previous deadline was in December.
As per MC, the project, being executed under the Smart City Mission, is aimed at switching from intermittent supply to 24x7 continuous pressurised supply system.
Once the pilot is complete, it is expected to benefit over 1 lakh residents in Manimajra, including Modern Housing Complex, Shivalik Enclave, Indira Colony, Shastri Nagar and old Manimajra.
MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “We have fixed January 31 as the deadline for completion of the pilot project, as 85% work is already completed. The initial deadline was in December, but due to heavy rains this year, the work was affected. We are hopeful that the trial run will commence in the last week of January.”
Mitra further said out of the total 13,700 water meters in Manimajra, around 11,000 had been replaced with ultrasonic smart water meters and the rest will be replaced this month.
Additionally, the construction work of two underground water reservoirs, each with a capacity of 2 MGD (million gallons per day), was nearing completion, she added.
The pilot project has two segments, capital work and the installation of water meters. Around ₹70 crore was allocated for capital works, while ₹90 crore will be spent on maintenance over the next 15 years.
How the project will help
The project is aimed at avoiding wastage of water by minimising storage of water by the public through 24x7 continuous high-pressure supply. Other objectives include water resource augmentation through leakage reduction, smart metering, limited dependence on groundwater and monitoring of energy consumption.
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.
Nearly 270 km of the city’s water supply network, which is not conducive for supply of high-pressure water, will also be replaced through the project.
The project will be implemented phase-wise, for which the city has been divided into 55 district metering areas (DMAs), comprising nearly one sector, the first of which will receive round-the-clock water supply by 2024. The entire city is expected to be covered by 2028.
