E-Paper
Delhi govt clears ₹2,400 crore Chandrawal project to revamp water supply in nine assemblies
The Chandrawal catchment area has some of the oldest water transmission lines in the city, which leads to contamination and leakages. It caters to areas in constituencies like Patel Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Model Town, Sadar Bazar, Karol Bagh, Rajinder Nagar and RK Puram.
New Delhi: During the last week’s cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government cleared a revised ₹2,406-crore plan for the Delhi Water Supply Improvement Project (DWSIP) aimed at complete overhaul of the water supply system within the catchment area of Chandrawal Water Treatment Plant (WTP), officials said.
“Expenditure approval and administrative sanction has been granted by the council of ministers for the project, assisted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It covers nine assembly constituencies in Central and North Delhi and will cater to nearly 22 lakh consumers in the area. Under the plan, JICA’s assistance of ₹1,704 crore will be received through the Central government, while the Delhi government’s share has been increased,” an official said.
The Chandrawal catchment area has some of the oldest water transmission lines in the city, which leads to contamination and leakages. It caters to areas in constituencies like Patel Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Model Town, Sadar Bazar, Karol Bagh, Rajinder Nagar and RK Puram.
Under the project, an old and decrepit 1,000-km water supply network in Chandrawal catchment area of more than 96 sqm will be replaced, and 21 underground water reservoirs will be rehabilitated. The project aims at increasing the water treatment capacity of the Chandrawal plant from the existing 90 MGD (million gallons per day) to 115 MGD, while also reducing non-revenue water (unaccounted water) in the area from the current 50% to 15%.
“The project, expected to be completed in three years, is divided into six “packages”, and currently the work on packages-1 and 2 is under way. The cabinet approval will ensure that the remaining packages are timely awarded,” added the official.
According to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), the project will improve water supply services within the Chandrawal plant’s command area in Central Delhi — covering 6.5% of Delhi’s geographical area.
“The project aims at laying water transmission networks, secondary and main water distribution lines, rehabilitation and construction of underground reservoirs, reducing non-revenue water, and ensuring water supply to the tail end consumer,” the official said.
The overall catchment area will be monitored through a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)-based system and a Complaint Redressal System (CRS), receiving and redressing complaints 24x7.
Earlier in April, CM Gupta had directed the DJB to submit a plan for revamp of the city’s ageing water and sewage infrastructure.
“The city’s population has increased manifold in the last 30 years, but the sewage management and water supply systems have not been replaced. The existing infrastructure is unable to keep up with the growing population; hence, people are facing problems. We will ensure replacement of old and damaged sewer and water lines in a phased manner,” Gupta had said after visiting DJB headquarters.
Ashok Bhasin, who heads the North Delhi Residents Welfare Federation, said the work of laying down pipelines in areas around North campus, Ghantaghar and Malkaganj has moved at a snail’s pace over the last 1.5 years.
“Even as the next phases are being cleared, the government should also review the quality of work carried out over the last couple of years. The whole area has been turned into a dust bowl while the pipeline laying work has moved very slowly. It still remains far from completion,” he added.
