Plan to expand Basai water treatment plant put on hold

The GMDA had started erecting a boundary wall around the land earmarked for Basai part-2 plant in January and was likely to allot tender for the project to complete it by the end of 2020.

The plan to construct a second water treatment plant (WTP) in Basai, at Sector 101, along the northern peripheral road (NPR or Dwarka expressway), has been indefinitely deferred by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).

The plan to construct a second water treatment plant (WTP) in Basai, at Sector 101, along the northern peripheral road (NPR or Dwarka expressway), has been indefinitely deferred by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). (HT File)

The GMDA had started erecting a boundary wall around the land earmarked for Basai part-2 plant in January and was likely to allot tender for the project to complete it by the end of 2020. Officials privy to the matter, however, said there has been a change in the plan and they will focus on augmenting the supply from Chandu Budhera plant at present.

The plan, which was scheduled to be taken up in GMDA’s last meeting, chaired by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, on March 4, also did not figure in the agenda.

V Umashankar, chief executive officer of GMDA, said, “We will consider Basai part-2 plant later. We are currently augmenting the Chandu Budhera plant and that will be sufficient to meet the water demand of the city for the next two years and more. We have already earmarked land for the plant.”

GMDA currently supplies 90 million gallons daily (MGD) water to the city from its two WTPs — 60 MGD from Basai and 30 MGD from Chandu Budhera. In the next two years, the city would require an additional 40 to 45 MGD on a daily basis, according to estimates.

“In order to meet that requirement, we had prepared a plan to augment both the Basai and Chandu Budhera plants. If we do not construct Basai part-2, we may face a water crisis in the next two years. The city is likely to witness a population growth in new sectors 58-115 and their water demand will be met from the Chandu Budhera plant, which is currently supplying water to old sectors 1-57,” a GMDA official said, on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that they are hopeful that the plan for the Basai part-2 plant will figure in the agenda of the next meeting, although it is yet to be scheduled. The meeting on March 4 was the third meeting of the authority and it was held after one year.

The plan to construct the Basai part-2 plant was initiated in 2017 by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) when it acquired 75 acres in Sector 10, close to the existing water treatment plant in Basai — at cost of Rs 700 crore.

When the GMDA was formed in early 2018, the HSVP transferred all master services such as water supply, sewer, roads, etc, to the GMDA, including the plan and land for the second plant in Basai.

“HSVP constructed Basai WTP of 60 MGD in 2005-10, keeping in mind the population of Sectors 1 to 57. The demand in these sectors has increased rapidly in recent years that currently, we have to supply additional water from the Chandu Budhera plant, as the supply from Basai is not adequate. The GMDA’s plan is to separate Chandu Budhera plant to cater only to the growing population of new Gurugram (sectors 58-115),” the GMDA official said.

As per the GMDA’s plan, the pressure on the Chandu Budhera plant will increase if the part-2 of the Basai plant is not built.

“We will be able to augment only 22 MGD water supply at the Chandu Budhera plant in the next two years, which would mean there would be a minimum deficit of 20 MGD. The Basai part-2 plan has been deferred for a short period, as we have been told. I cannot comment further in this regard,” a GMDA engineer said.

According to the engineer, groundwater is the main source of supply to the estimated population of 2.5 lakh in sectors 58-115 and the problem could be compounded with an increase in the population over the next few years.