Gurugram: After 24 yrs, Gwal Pahari areas to get canal water

Six residential societies of Gurugram and the Gwal Pahari village will benefit from the supply of canal water from the Yamuna river, once the boosting station is constructed.

Twenty-four years after people first moved in to the Ansal Valley View Estate—the first society to get an occupancy certificate in Gwal Pahari— the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has allocated Rs16 crore to set up a water boosting station here. This is first ever initiative by the authority to make canal water available to the privately developed residential complexes and villages, which depended on groundwater for all their needs till now.

Thousands of residents of the six privately developed residential societies and the village of Gwal Pahari depend on groundwater for all their daily needs. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Five other partially occupied residential societies—Paras Quartier, Ireo Gurgaon Hills, Krish Provence, Four Seasons and ASF Insignia—and Gwal Pahari village will also benefit from the supply. They will get Yamuna water once the boosting station is constructed, which is expected to take about two years.

“The construction can commence any day now and it will take two years to complete the boosting station. There are six privately developed societies and villages in Gwal Pahari which will get access to Yamuna water,” GMDA executive engineer Sandeep Dahiya said.

The GMDA will set up a boosting station of 5MGD (million gallons daily) at Gwal Pahari, about 20km from DLF Phase 1, and connect it to another boosting station in Sector 72, which is connected with the Chandu Budhera water treatment plant. The GMDA has finished laying a water pipeline from the Sector 72 boosting station to Gwal Pahari.

The distance from Chandu Budhera plant to Gwal Pahari is roughly 35km, the farthest point of the city in terms of water pipeline network. “Water will take at least three-and-a-half hours to reach Gwal Pahari boosting station from Chandu Budhera plant,” said a GMDA official.

The GMDA has awarded the work to a contractor.

While some rejoiced at the development, many flayed the Haryana government for granting a licence to construct without ensuring access to water.

“The TCP Haryana should first make arrangements for pipeline connection and then authorise residential colonies and commercial projects in any area. They cannot plan plotting of sectors depending on groundwater extraction. Licence to Ansal Valley View is a glaring example of lapse on part of officials, who are the real culprits for our sorry state of affairs,” said Vaishali Rana Chandra, a resident of Valley View.

“We shifted to this place in 1998 and then we realised there was no canal water at all. We have been using groundwater for our daily needs,” Valley View resident Sumit Singh said.

Area councillor Mahesh Dayma said, “Ansal Valley View is fully occupied and other societies are not. There are two villages also under my jurisdiction such as Gwal Pahari and Bandhwari and they use groundwater. I have raised demand of canal water for Gwal Pahari in every MCG House meeting. Residents of Valley View and villages are after me for canal water and I wish the GMDA completes boosting station at the earliest.”