ROURKELA:If everything goes as per plan, the entire population of Rourkela, which earned the Smart City status in September 2016, would have access to piped water supply by mid-2020.
Rourkela BJP legislator Dilip Ray informed that `178 crores have been sanctioned for augmentation of drinking water supply under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small & Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) and Atal Mission for Renewal & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) in the city.
However, the mega UIDSSMT project is moving at a slow pace while some AMRUT plans also need to be expedited.
Administrative sources said the UIDSSMT project sanctioned in 2013-14 has been revised upward to about `89 crore and after much delay, the Letter of Acceptance was issued in August. But agreement signing with the contractor is pending.They further informed that multiple AMRUT projects worth around `76.25 crores are in various stages of implementation. While two AMRUT projects valued at `12.75 crores have been completed, another one will be taken up soon.
According to sources, a project worth `1.81 crore for rehabilitation of damaged pipeline at Nala Road and adjoining areas has been completed along with laying of Rising Main Line from Panposh to Tisco Colony via Hanuman Vatika at a cost of `10.94 crores. Water testing laboratory project worth `5 crore at Panposh and a treatment plant at Jhirpani of `1.60 crore are stated to be nearing completion.This apart, laying of distribution lines at Nayabazar to Madhusudanpali via Timber Colony worth `4.04 crores and a similar project of `7.37 crore at Jagda are underway.
Recently, an agreement was executed with the contractor for laying of distribution lines at Nabakrushna Nagar at a cost of `7.30 crores while the tender for setting up a treatment plant and distribution networks in Jhartarang panchayat at a cost of `36 crores is under scrutiny.Plans are also afoot to connect some slums of the captive township of Rourkela Steel Plant with piped water supply at a cost of `14 crores.
Executive Engineer of Public Health and Engineering Department Anup Patel said hopefully, all the projects will be completed by mid-2020.
Against the peak demand of 47.9 Million Litres per Day (MLD), the city has a supply capacity of 77.8 MLD. However, due to inadequate distribution network, only 20 RMC Wards have been fully covered with piped water supply. While 13 Wards have been partially covered, seven do not have access to piped water supply.