City has 2 lakh illegal water connections, says MCG; to initiate survey

In a bid to curb the cases of water theft in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to initiate a citywide survey for identifying illegal

In a bid to curb the cases of water theft in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to initiate a citywide survey for identifying illegal water connections, said officials on Thursday. There are at least 2 lakh illegal or unregistered water connections in the city, the MCG officials said.

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Even though the MCG has more than 3.5 lakh properties registered in its tax records, there are only 65,000 registered water connections in the civic body’s data, said the officials. The 15-day survey will commence by the end of this month.

“Since 2017, the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) has been gradually transferring all HSVP sectors in the city to the MCG for maintenance. With it, the responsibility of water supply has also become MCG’s onus. As per HSVP records, there are 65,000 legal water connections in the city. We are now in the process of identifying all water connections in the city via a survey, and also trace illegal water connections to help curb water theft. We estimate that there are at least 2 lakh illegal or unregistered water connections in the city,” said an MCG official privy to the matter.

The official said that once water connections are identified in the survey, they would be fitted with a water meter to ensure water is judiciously used. Also, action on illegal water connections will be taken, the officials said.

“The survey will help us identify illegal water connections, and accordingly take action against violators. The larger objective of this exercise is to ensure that there is abundant water supply in the city, especially during the summer season,” said Vinay Pratap Singh, commissioner, MCG.

The city draws its water from the Yamuna river near Sonipat via a 71-km-long NCR water channel.

As per the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) data, the daily water supply in the city is 420 MLD (million litres per day), and the water demand by 2031 is expected to be nearly four times the current supply — 1,650 MLD.

The GMDA is the main water supplier in the city and looks after the water treatment plants at Basai and Chandu Budhera. The MCG works as a distributor and manages all the water boosting stations.