Pench IV WTP likely to be commissioned on Saturday

NAGPUR: Citizens, especially North and Central Nagpur residents, may get relief from water woes in another couple of days as Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) water works department is set to commission its Pench IV water treatment plant (WTP) at Godhani with Mahadula canal to enable lifting of water.
Union parliamentary affairs M Venkaiah Naidu is expected to inaugurate the WTP, that will augment NMC’s water supply capacity by another 115 MLD when it becomes operational, on March 28.Presently, the NMC draws 650 MLD water, including 240 MLD from Kanhan River and almost 410 MLD water from Pench I, II and III, to Gorewada reservoir.
It was originally supposed to be commissioned before 2012 summer. Though the work started in 2006, it was delayed due to permissions from various state and central government departments and acquisition of farmers’ land. Almost 100 permissions from various departments were needed to complete the pipeline work, sources said, adding the work finally completed on March 23.
Sources told TOI that the Rs220 crore project, sanctioned under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), has come up on a 5-acre site. Of the sanctioned amount, 50% has come from the Centre while state government contributed 20% and the remaining 30% has been borne by NMC.
Sources said Rs10 crore was spent on setting up the plant while the rest was for other works including a 27-km pipeline from Mahadula to Raj Bhavan tank via Godhani.
NMC superintending engineer Prakash Urade said at present water was being drawn from Pench through canal and it causes loss through cracks, evaporation etc. “Once it is commissioned through the pipeline, around 120 MLD water will be saved,” he explained. He said that the NMC had installed eight pumps to draw water from the Pench reservoir, but only six pumps will be used.
Actually, the move will also save Rs4 crore for the civic body annually, he said. The NMC was paying Rs12 crore per annum to irrigation department for drawing water from Pench reservoir, he added.
Once completed, water from the plant will be stored in Raj Bhavan water tank. From here, it will be supplied to 19 overhead tanks situated in North, Central and other parts of the city.