Pilot project for 24x7 water supply in Chandigarh set to begin in May

On Thursday, Chandigarh Smart City Ltd opened the financial bid of the single firm in the running for the ₹162-crore project.

Work on the ambitious 24x7 water supply project in Manimajra is set to start in May, with the Chandigarh Smart City Ltd (CSCL) finally deciding on a firm to execute the project.

A total of 13,700 water connections have been planned to be covered in Manimajra as part of the pilot project. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

On Thursday, CSCL opened the financial bid of the single firm in the running for the ₹162-crore project. The joint venture firm between SB Engineering and Tap Presstressed Pvt Ltd had a bid value lower than the reserve price.

“Now, the CSCL board will take the final call on the firm and its financial bid,” said NP Sharma, chief general manager, CSCL.

Having floated tenders for the project seven times, CSCL did not receive any bid on the first five occasions, and thereon, only one company came forward. On April 5, the technical committee of CSCL gave the go-ahead for opening of the financial bid of the only applicant.

The project was approved in March last year. Work was expected to begin in September 2020 and finish by March 2022.

Smart supply system

A total of 13,700 water connections have been planned to be covered in Manimajra as part of the pilot project. It entails retrofitting of existing network, laying of new civil and electro-mechanical network, and instrumentation.

“In addition to modernisation and expansion of the water supply, smart features will be incorporated in the system to make it more efficient and minimise disruptions in supply,” said Sharma.

The project also includes installation of smart water meters for every connection, which will help minimise water leakage and theft through live updates. While 36% water is wasted in Chandigarh on an average, the figure is 60% in Manimajra.

“Currently, there is no way to assess the underground theft points. Even leakage points are difficult to ascertain. The smart meters, in addition to improvement in the pipelines, will help keep both in check. Our aim is to bring down water wastage in Manimajra to 15% through the project,” said Sharma.

A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) set-up will help manage and supervise of the smart supply system.

The success of the pilot will majorly impact CSCL’s pan-city 24x7 water project, which is expected to start in February 2022.