NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: Supply of Ganga water would be suspended in Noida and Ghaziabad for about a fortnight from Tuesday or Wednesday. While sludge has choked supply channels after the Chamoli tragedy because of increased silt in the Upper Ganga Canal, officials said water supply is being turned off because a pipeline shifted from its original location off the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will now be linked to the main line.
Over the past few days, the water of the 185km long canal from Haridwar to Dasna has been found to have an abnormally high level of silt deposits. “Against the usual 300 particles per million (ppm), the canal has recorded 7,000 ppm. This has not only inhibited the flow of the canal, but has also brought sludge to the two water treatment plants in Ghaziabad and choked the lines,” said Subhendra Choudhary, project manager of the Ganga water treatment plant at Siddharth Vihar.
“We had to close down the plants in Siddharth Vihar and Pratap Vihar from 9pm Sunday till Monday noon. Some de-siltation work was carried out on the canal, after which we resumed supply,” he added.
Officials said the supply would be disrupted all the more because pipelines, which were shifted from their original location following the construction of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, have to be connected to the main channel now. The National Highways Authority of India and the UP Jal Nigam are likely to begin work on the 19km long pipeline on Tuesday or Wednesday. The new pipeline from Dasna to Pratap Vihar is 20m in diametre. “To ensure uninterrupted supply in the future, we have to switch to the new network and make sure all the channels are working properly. From Tuesday, we are prepared to shut down the 100 cusec plant in Siddharth Vihar. It will open only in the first week of March,” the official said.
The suspension of Ganga water supply means the force of water in taps will go down considerably. Around 240 million litres of the 406 MLD of water that is supplied daily to households in Noida is Ganga jal. Noida Authority officials said they had filled their reservoirs so that supply is unhindered for the next few days. Officials said the Siddharth Vihar plant supplied 5 cubic feet per second (1 cusec is equal to discharge of 28.3 litres per second) of Ganga water to Noida and 15 cusec to Ghaziabad. The one at Pratap Vihar provides 20 cusec to Noida and 30 to Ghaziabad. The Pratap Vihar facility will operate but only till the time the stored water is pumped out. “We hope to connect one of the two facilities till that time so that some supply is maintained through the shutdown period,” an official said. Although the increasing level of silt deposits was unforeseen, the shifting of the Ganga water pipeline was necessitated to ensure that movement of traffic on the DME wasn’t disrupted every time the supply channel had to be repaired.
“The pressure will be affected once supply is disrupted. We are going to rely only on groundwater. For a few days, residents may have to face some inconvenience. Tankers will be used to bring water. Our reservoirs will also come in handy,” said RP Singh, deputy general manager at the Authority.