Chandigarh’s 24x7 water supply project gets central govt nod

Conceived nearly seven years ago, the 24x7 water supply project has a financial outlay of ₹576.57 crore and is expected to be completed by 2027

The ambitious pan-city 24x7 water supply project for Chandigarh is all set to get rolling within a month, as the Union ministry of home affairs gave the final nod to the proposal on Monday.

The said primary goal of the project is to switch from intermittent supply to 24x7 continuous high-pressure supply across Chandigarh’s sectors and villages. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Conceived nearly seven years ago, the project has a financial outlay of ₹576.57 crore and is expected to be completed by 2027.

While sharing the development, UT adviser Dharam Pal said UT had signed a memorandum of undertaking (MoU) with Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) in 2016, wherein AFD had agreed to support Chandigarh’s water supply, sanitation and waste management, among other sectors.

He said primary goal of the project was to switch from intermittent supply to 24x7 continuous high-pressure supply. Other objectives include water resource augmentation through leakage reduction, automatic reading water meters, limited dependence on ground water and monitoring of energy consumption.

He further said there was climate mitigation/adaptation through the project that qualified it as a “climate” as well a “clean technology” project, as the total greenhouse gas emissions will be much lower than the CO2 emitted from the existing system.

The project aims to lower electricity consumption based on operations of energy-efficiency pumping sets and optimum water consumption at consumer end.

The adviser said the project also comprised employment of 20% women in construction phase and maintenance activities, with safe working conditions and pay on par with male workers. Participation of 50% female stakeholders in consultation meetings and group discussions on project implementation plan will also be ensured.

He said the project was India’s first pan-city 24x7 water supply project with best financing proposal, where approximately 25% of external financing was through grants. “There is positive and encouraging response from prospective private bidders to participate in the project, as Chandigarh is a planned city,” Pal said.

Municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Anindita Mitra said hereon, the agreements regarding financial aid will be signed, which was expected within this week. “This will be followed by the signing of the project agreement (PA). Then there will be tendering for the implementation of the project. The long-term technical assistance (LTTA), which will assist in designing all the tenders, will be in place this month before tenders are prepared and floated.”

There has been a strong concern among the residents and political parties that the project will bringing mandatory increase in the water tariff and increase financial burden on MC.

Notably, the AFD loan is to be repaid in 15 years with a six-year moratorium period. For loan repayment, as per an earlier MC House resolution, the water tariff will have to be increased. The administration though has consistently played down such concerns.