Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal will supply two million litres of water daily from the Upper Lake to upcoming industrial units in Bandikhedi village, Bairasia tehsil, to support the new Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC). The decision, however, has sparked concern over the increasing pressure on the city’s key water source.
To enable supply, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) will lay a 38-kilometre pipeline from Sanjiv Nagar to Bandikhedi, connecting it to the existing line of the Manuabhan Tekri Filter Plant near Lalghati. The 50 MLD capacity plant will supply 2 MLD through this new line. The Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (MPSEDC) will fund and execute the project.
Officials said that while additional draw will raise the Upper Lake’s load, the Tekri Filter Plant is being upgraded by 10 MLD under the AMRUT 2.0 project to meet both domestic and industrial demand.
Proposal & approvals
The MPSEDC first sought 1 MLD water in July 2024, which the BMC approved on July 25. Later, the Department of Science and Technology raised the requirement to 2 MLD, and in August 2025, the Urban Development and Housing Department directed BMC to seek formal approval from the Municipal Council.
Concern for 6L residents
Currently, about six lakh residents of old Bhopal depend on Upper Lake for their daily water needs, consuming nearly 86.4 MLD. In 2005, the city’s total daily supply stood at 85.5 MLD, but with urban expansion, only around 30% of Bhopal’s population now receives water from the lake. The rest is supplied from Kolar, Kaliyasot and Narmada sources.
EMC project
Spread across 210.21 acres, the EMC project at Bandikhedi is estimated to cost Rs 371.95 crore. Approved under the Centre’s EMC 2.0 scheme as part of Digital India and Make in India initiatives, it recently received state cabinet clearance. Basic infrastructure work has begun, with water supply being treated as a top priority.
Dr Jagdish Singh, MANIT prof said,“Upper Lake is already nearing its maximum capacity of 99 MLD. If additional extraction continues without alternate planning, Bhopal may face drought-like conditions similar to 2002. There is need to manage the city’s 18 reservoirs strategically and plan for future growth.”
Udit Garg, water works department superintending engineer said, “Manuabhan Tekri Filter Plant’s capacity is being expanded by 10 MLD under AMRUT 2.0. It will ensure that 2 MLD supply to Bandikhedi will not affect city water availability.”
