Ghaziabad civic body drafts plan to meet water demand in 2025

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation has prepared an extensive ‘water balance plan’, which involves an estimation of supply sources in a bid to meet the water demand of the city by the year 2025

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation has prepared an extensive ‘water balance plan’, which involves an estimation of supply sources in a bid to meet the water demand of the city by the year 2025. The plan has revealed that Ghaziabad city will be able to bridge the shortfall of 457.74 million litres per day (MLD) in 2025.

The plan has revealed that Ghaziabad city will be able to bridge the shortfall of 457.74 million litres per day in 2025. (Sakib Ali /HT)

The plan has been prepared as part of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme of the Centre and the action plan will be prepared by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam. The draft has also been sent to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for evaluation.

“Under the plan, we have identified the expected shortfall in water supply from the year 2025 and ways through which it can be bridged. Further, there will be an emphasis on supplying tap water to households and installation of water meters. The water treatment facilities will also get a facelift,” said municipal commissioner MS Tanwar.

“Initially, we are planning to install 22 tube wells to meet the shortfall in water supply in residential wards. The rest of the work will be taken up after the model code of conduct is lifted after the ongoing assembly elections. The action plan is being prepared by the UP Jal Nigam and will detail the number of water supply sources, treatment plants, etc. that are required to meet the shortfall,” added Tanwar.

Earlier in December last year, the corporation took up an internal survey and found that 63 of the 100 residential wards in the city do not meet the requirement of 135 litre per capita per day (lpcd) while the rest of the 37 wards have surplus water supplied by the agency.

The internal survey said that residential wards face a water supply deficit of about 107.02MLD against the production of 264.75MLD, while the daily demand is 371.78MLD.

It also stated that 45 of the 63 water-deficit wards fall in the trans-Hindon area, which includes 22 wards in the Vasundhara zone, comprising localities such as Indirapuram, Vasundhara and Vaishali, while 23 wards fall in the Mohan Nagar zone.

“The agency has to save groundwater resources wherever possible as there is a huge reliance on submersible pumps by many households. The issue of illegal water packaging units and making use of recycled water should also be taken up, so that the complete reliance on groundwater is gradually reduced,” said Akash Vasishtha, a Ghaziabad-based environmentalist.

The corporation officials said that under the ‘water balance plan,’ they have to complete the target of providing 135lpcd by 2025.