Bhayandar: For the 14 lakh citizens of Mira-Bhayandar, promises of uninterrupted water supply by politicians on the eve of the election remains a pipe dream.
With pipes being laid at a snail’s pace, the ambitious Surya Water Project will miss another deadline due to bureaucratic hurdles.
After scripting history for delays, the much-awaited work for the 403 water supply scheme, which had remained on paper for seven years, saw the light of the day when CM Devendra Fadnavis gave his go-ahead to the ambitious 403 MLD water supply project during the eve of civic poll in July 2017.
With Surya Dam at Dhamani village in Jawhar as a source of water, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) had planned to provide a water supply of 403 MLD, which will be distributed to Mira Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar in a proportion of 218 and 185 MLD respectively.
With a resolve to complete the project in 34 months, the MMRDA has awarded the contract to construct the 88-km-long pipeline to a multi-national company. However, even after 24 months, the pipe-laying has been completed only on a 3.5-km-long stretch.
The MMRDA is still awaiting approvals from the forest department and the Dahanu Taluka Environmental Protection Authority.
“The requisite nods are expected in August. The lost time will be compensated by working on a war-footing to ensure timely completion,” said an MMRDA official.
The multi-crore project based on gravity transmission is being executed under the design, built, maintain, operate and transfer (DBMOT) model, which envisages laying of pipeline having underground tunnels, raw and pure water pumping stations, sub-stations, water treatment and chlorination plants, break pressure towers and master balancing reservoirs.
By Suresh Golani
