E-Paper
Workforce crisis puts off GMADA’s already-delayed water project by six months
The previous deadline was December 2020, but now it has been moved to June 2021. This when Mohali is facing a daily shortage of 10 MGD water and the demand shoots up in summers by 12 MGD.
The workforce crisis has delayed Greater Mohali Area Development Authority’s (GMADA) project to bring additional water supply of 5 million gallon daily (MGD) from phases 5 and 6 of the Kajauli water works by six months.
The previous deadline was December 2020, but now it has been moved to June 2021. This when Mohali is facing a daily shortage of 10 MGD water and the demand shoots up in summers by 12 MGD.
The construction work of the water treatment plant at Jandpur village of Mohali under phases 5 and 6 will now be over by June next year. At present, only 25% of the workforce is operational. The construction was already delayed over whether to construct a plant for 5 MGD or 20 MGD supply, but now GMADA has decided to construct a plant for 20 MGD. The cost of the project is ₹60 crore and a Vadodara-based company has been allotted work.
GMADA chief engineer Sunil Kansal said, “Earlier, there were 120 workers, but now only 30 are working there. Most of them have gone back to their native places during the lockdown.”
On the other hand, Chandigarh has already started getting its additional 35 MGD water supply from the same pipeline under phases 5 and 6 of Kajauli water works. GMADA has also started laying the water pipes that will cover 16 km.
For the past several years, Mohali has been reeling under acute water shortage as the gap between demand and supply in the city is 10 MGD daily.
MC councillor Kuljeet Singh Bedi, who had filed a case in Punjab and Haryana high court regarding water shortage, said, “It is sad that people are suffering while the administration is insensitive and in no hurry to complete the project.”
ABOUT THE PROJECT
In May 2012, GMADA had started laying pipelines to supply 80 MGD water to Mohali district and Chandigarh from Kajauli water works (phases 5 and 6) at a cost of ₹200 crore, out of which ₹100 crore was to be borne by Chandigarh. Under phases 5 and 6, 40 MGD water was to be supplied, out of which 35 MGD was reserved for Chandigarh and 5 MGD for Mohali.
Mohali gets 10 MGD water from Kajauli water works and 10 MGD from 75 tubewells. The Kajauli water works is located on the Bhakra mainline canal near Morinda in Ropar district from where water requirements of Chandigarh, Mohali and Chandimandir are met.
