By July, Noida to get 100% Ganga water

NOIDA: By mid-July, Noida Authority is likely to begin supplying water solely from the Ganga to the city for potable use without blending it with groundwater. The supply of 100% Ganga water will commence following commissioning of Phase II of the Authority's Ganga Jal project.

Once commissioned, the project will enable Noida Authority to procure an additional 192 MLD of the river water for the city from the Pratap Vihar water treatment plant. At present, Noida procures a total quantity of 48 MLD of Ganga water from Pratap Vihar, following the commissioning of Ganga Jal Phase I.

The project had been held up due to a delay on the part of the Railways to permit UP Jal Nigam to lay pipelines under a railway crossing near ABES college in Ghaziabad. Noida Authority had paid a sum of Rs 4.5 crore to the Railways in 2011 for the work, wherein a signal would be put up at the job site cautioning trains to slow down. "The project is expected to be commissioned in Julyas Railways is now doing its work. Residents will no longer be supplied groundwater," said Samakant Srivastava, project engineer (outer), Noida Authority.

Due to overusage of groundwater for potable supply, residents had for long complained about hardness in the water quality supplied to their homes. Skin ailments were also reported due to hard water, apart from the corrosion of bathroom fittings. Groundwater depletion was an issue as well. This project is expected to put an end to such problems and complaints. Authority officials informed that after the Railways engineering unit in Ghaziabad completes its work in May, pipelines will be laid.

UP Jal Nigam will complete the laying of pipelines by the end of June following which testing will be undertaken in the first week of July.