GMDA to supply piped water to new sectors from July 31

Gurgaon: The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has claimed that it will start canal water supply in sectors 81-99 from July 31 after missing several deadlines. Work for laying down of pipelines in the area had been stuck over a railway culvert.
The issue has now been resolved, GMDA officials said.
“The water supply project had been delayed due to a railway culvert. It has now been resolved and we will be able to commission water supply in sectors 81-99 from July-end,” GMDA chief engineer Pradeep Kumar told TOI.
The metropolitan authority has already started water supply in sectors 58-67. Supply has also been started in some areas of sectors 68-80 and sectors 102-115. Sectors 100-101 are utility sectors (non-residential areas) and don’t require water supply.
Asked about completion of work in the remaining sectors, Kumar said that it will take at least another six months, and completion is also subject to several other factors.
“Work on laying pipelines had slowed down due to the lockdown. Moreover, in some areas, roads haven’t been developed. Unless that is done, water supply lines cannot be installed either,” Kumar said.
The Chandu Budhera water treatment plant will supply water to new sectors. Its capacity is being augmented for the purpose. Meanwhile, work for setting up a new water treatment plant in Sector 72 is also underway. Together, these two plants will cater to sectors 58-115.
The supply of canal water in new sectors was one of GMDA’s foremost projects. It has, however, missed several deadlines. GMDA’s former chief had promised that new sectors would receive canal water by March 2019. But the metropolitan authority couldn’t meet the deadline due to land acquisition issues and other hurdles, and it was eventually revised to March 2020. Six months past the new deadline, many new sectors are yet to receive piped water.
There are at least 150 residential societies in the new sectors, with lakhs of residents currently living there. Families have been living in housing societies in these sectors for years but basic infrastructure like power and water lines are still being laid. The lack of water supply from the government has made them dependent on groundwater and water tankers for meeting their daily water needs. Water supply, once commissioned, will not only help cut down on groundwater exploitation but will also help reduce residents’ expenses.
Meanwhile, the GMDA has also set up a pipeline for distributing treated water in the new sectors. It is already being supplied in some areas. The treated water will be used for non-drinking purposes, such as horticulture, gardening, agriculture and industrial uses.