1 million litres water leaking

Even as Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) faces the ire of citizens for inadequate supply of water in several parts of the city, especially in east and north Nagpur, around 1 million litres per day (MLD) water from old Gorewada is leaking for the last many years.

Ironically, despite knowing these facts, the water works department has not taken any measure to check the colossal waste. Officials of water works department (WWD) said that NMC was at present supplying 551 million litres per day to the city. On an average per day, the city gets 149 MLD water from Pench-I, 149-MLD from Pench-II, 116 MLD-Pench III, 15-MLD from old Gorewada and 121 MLD from Kanhan plant. Of this, around 20% goes waste due to leakages.

Deputy mayor Shekhar Sawarbandhe and some senior officials visited the water treatment plant in Gorewada on Friday. The plant, set up in 1916, supplies 16 MLD water to localities like Hazaripahad, Vayusena Nagar, Sheela Nagar, WCL Colony and Milk Scheme.

A senior official present at the plant briefed the deputy mayor about the arrangements at Gorewada. The official said that leakages from the lake, plant and backwash water constitute a flow which joins Pili river. This is occurring as the plant is very old and requires immediate renovation.

After inspecting the treatment plant, Sawarbandhe expressed concern over the continuing wastage of water.

Moreover, the NMC spends Rs 17 crore to purchase raw water from Pench and Mahadula. At present, NMC spends Rs 2 lakh for maintenance and repairs (excluding the costs of chemicals required for treatment) of the old Gorewada tank. He said that he would issue directives to WWD to take preventive measures to check wastage of 1 MLD water.

Sawarbandhe, however, said that under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a proposal to renovate the nine decades old water treatment plant was already pending with the central government.

Pravin Datke, NMC house leader, told mediamen that once the Kanhan water project is completed, the pumping capacity of the plant would increase from 120 MLD to 240 MLD respectively. "The work is going on on a war-footing and WWD would try not to use Kanhan river water during summer season in future and thus help farmers get it for irrigation." He said Gorewada water can be used only during summer. Meanwhile, the NMC's slum department on Friday seized 65 water pumps by conducting raids in various localities.

According to an official press release, the department seized seven water pumps from Dharampeth zone, nine from Hanuman Nagar, 14 from Dhantoli, four from Nehru Nagar, 13 from Gandhibagh, eight from Satranjipura, six from Lakadganj and four from Mangalwari.