The Hindu : New Delhi News : Munak water channel to miss deadline

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 08, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Munak water channel to miss deadline

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Large number of trees coming in the way

Permission sought from forest department to fell these trees
The channel was slated to be completed by the end of this year

NEW DELHI: Propped up as a remedy to the longstanding problem of water shortage in the Capital’s areas of Dwarka, Bawana and Okhla, the upcoming 102-km-long Munak Channel will miss its December 2008 deadline. Construction work on the channel is likely to be delayed by at least a couple of months.

According to sources, work on the last leg of the construction has come to a halt because of the presence of a large number of trees that have come in the way of the channel.

“There are about 6,000 trees that have come in the way of the channel. The Haryana Irrigation Department, which is carrying out the construction work, has now sought permission of the Environment and Forests Ministry for felling the trees. The Department has also deposited the money required for carrying out re-plantation,” said a source.

The Rs.315-crore project that has long remained a contentious issue between Delhi and Haryana is also aimed at improving the Capital’s water supply ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

“Almost 80 per cent of the channel is ready and work remains on barely 20 km of the stretch. Once the clearance to fell the trees is received, the Haryana Irrigation Department will resume work. Also, there are a number of cables and other wired connections that need to be circumvented, that aspect is also being looked into,” said sources.

The Munak Channel is expected to augment Delhi’s water supply by bringing in an additional 80 MGD (million gallons a day) of water. From this quantity, 20 MGD will be supplied to the Okhla and Bawana water treatment plants and 40 MGD to Dwarka.

The 102-km-long channel is being built between the Haryana border and Haiderpur and will cut down water losses due to seepage.

Accepting that enough water is not being supplied to several areas in the city an official of the Delhi Jal Board said the Munak Channel would ease the problems faced by residents.“The channel will spell relief for thousands of residents of high-rise buildings in Dwarka where water shortage is a perpetual problem. Large parts of the township have to rely on water supplied by the DJB tankers and other private suppliers. Once the channel is commissioned, there will be adequate water supply for the residents,” said the official.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi