E-Paper
March deadline missed: 24x7 water supply in Manimajra only after polls
The project, for which the foundation stone, was laid on November 13, 2021, has already missed four deadlines -- August 2023, December 2023, January 2024 and March 2024.
Manimajra residents will have to wait till the end of the Lok Sabha elections before they can get 24x7 water supply to their homes as its inauguration has been stalled by the imposition of the model code of conduct.
The project, for which the foundation stone, was laid on November 13, 2021, has already missed four deadlines -- August 2023, December 2023, January 2024 and March 2024.
Though over 95% of the work has been completed, the formal inauguration of the project can be done only after the Lok Sabha results are declared on June 4.
As per the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC), the Manimajra project, being executed under the Smart City Mission as a pilot project, is aimed at switching from intermittent supply to 24x7 continuous supply system. The project is to be carried out at ₹162 crore, including the cost of 15 years’ operation and maintenance. The pilot project has two segments, capital work and the installation of water meters.
Once the pilot 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.
MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “Over 95% of the work is already complete. The construction of two underground water reservoirs (UGRs), each with a capacity of 2 MGD (million gallons per day), has already been completed. Now, hydrotesting is going on to ensure structural safety of the UGRs and to check any leakages. Soon after the poll results are out, our project will be formally inaugurated and people will start getting the benefit of the same.”
Out of the total 13,700 water meters in Manimajra, over 12,000 had already been replaced with ultrasonic smart water meters.
How project will benefit people
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. Chandigarh will be the first city to make fresh water available round-the-clock.
At present, the 12.6 lakh population of Chandigarh is consuming 386 million litres daily (MLD) which is estimated at 245 litres per person (capita) per day (Lpcd). As per MCC, the daily consumption and availability of water is much higher than the estimated requirement of the citizens, which stands at 225 MLD or 150 lpcd. As per the estimates, the daily consumption includes 35% wastage, which is about 135 MLD.
