Acute water shortage may be thing of past for Shimla as major project close to induction

Shimla, Mar 8 (PTI) Shimla may not see an acute shortage of water this summer as a bulk supply project from the Sutlej River saw the light of day on Sunday.

The water reached the Sanjauli reservoir in the state capital today, after the completion of final testing, which had been ongoing for the past three months.

This project aims to enhance the water supply capacity to 107 megalitres per day (MLD), Rajesh Kashyap, general manager (operations), Shimla Jal Prabandha Nigam Limited (SJPNL), told PTI.

At present, Shimla city receives about 40 MLD of water from five schemes – Gumma, Giri, Churat, Cheir, and Ashwani Khad.

As part of the project, ozone technology for water treatment will be used for the first time. Half of the 1,330 trees sanctioned to be cut were saved by raising the pipeline on anchors.

Initially, the scheme would provide 42 MLD of water, and after 15 years, the capacity will be enhanced to 67 MLD, Kashyap said.

He said the project's source is at Shikrodi in Sunni, and the water would be lifted in three stages via Shikrodi-Dwada-Dummi and reach the Sanjauli reservoir through a 27.3-km-long pipeline.

A jack well is being used as an intake point, a 21 megalitre settling tank, to address the high turbidity in the Sutlej, and is further supplemented by clarifloculators and rapid sand filter units, said Kashyap, who designed, contracted, and commissioned the project.

The disinfection will be done through chlorination and will be upgraded to ozonation in six months. A water testing laboratory has been set up at Shikrodi under the project.

The project is the biggest of its kind in Himachal Pradesh, built at around Rs 500 crore with funding from the World Bank.

Local MLA Harish Janartha said the project would be formally inaugurated soon.

The green project, which began in October 2020, was originally meant to see the felling of 1,330 trees, but around 700 of them were saved from being axed by raising the pipeline on anchor and thrust blocks.

The pipe is 750 mm in diameter and fulfils American Petroleum Institute (API) standards, officials said, adding that the project will also generate 500 KW solar energy through panels installed on buildings and tanks.

Shimla city is afflicted by acute water shortage and irregular supply during the summer. PTI BPL VN VN