Mumbai model to serve Jaipur

Anew model of water supply and sewerage management to be carried out by a dedicated water board is being planned in Jaipur city and in adjoining areas. The functions related to the water distribution will then be taken over by the new Board, sources said. 

Currently, water supply for different parts of Jaipur is being carried out by multiple agencies like the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Jaipur Nagar Nigam (JNN), Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB), Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water, Sewerage & Infrastructure Corporation (RUDSICO) and Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project. However, the water production work is carried out by the PHED.

With growing water demand in the city, it was, therefore, felt that there is a need to take cohesive approach for planning, development, implementation and management of activities related to water supply and sewerage services in Jaipur city and adjoining areas.

In the last assembly session, a bill was introduced for management of water supply, treatment and managing requirements of the state capital with the idea of putting Jaipur under an autonomous board. 

The board will consist of over a dozen members including representatives drawn from Jaipur Development Authority, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, RIICO, finance, state government and others. It will have jurisdiction over the enter urban area of the city related to water and sewerage services, sources said. 

Along with improving quality of water supply, a core objective of the board will be to make the system self-reliant. Presently the government is able to recover only 30 per cent of the operation and maintenance cost of water supply system. Even as the government will initially assist the board to fill the viability gap over the years, it will have to become self-reliant and thus may levy more charges on users. 

No new construction or reconstruction of building will be allowed on any property at a distance of 35 meters from sewer line without due drain or sewer facility developed to the satisfaction of the board. Such a drain to carry waste and filth from the building must be duly connected to a board sewer, sources said.  

Journey Of Drinking Water 

• ‘Raw water’ from Bisalpur dam is pumped at heavy pressure to the Surajpura treatment plant located on the outskirts of Jaipur city. 
• Filtration and chlorination of the water from Bisalpur Dam is done at this plant. 
• The treated water is, thereafter, transferred to Balawala pumping station for supply to rural areas and Jaipur city.  
• Transmission of water is then taken up at Balawlala. The Central Feeder at the pumping station is used to transmit treated water to pump houses at Jawahar Circle, Ramniwas Bagh Dravyavati River (Shastri Nagar), Vidyadhar Nagar, VKI, Mahesh Nagar, Triveni Nagar and the one located in Civil Lines.
• The Western Feeder also located at the Balawala treatment Plant is used for transmitting water to remaining parts of the city.
• The beneficiaries includes residents of  Mansarovar, Shyam Nagar, Vidyut Nagar, Khatipura and Jhotwara. 

How Water From Bisalpur Gets Shared

The total capacity of Bisalpur Dam in Tonk is thousand million cubic feet (TMC). The Dam, which is nearly a 100 km from Jaipur, accounts for two-thirds of the total requirement of Jaipur’s drinking water. Out of its total carrying capacity, 33.15 TMC water is usable for human consumption and requirement, which includes supply for drinking water and irrigation. The remaining is left untouched for the aquatic life. Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED), the nodal agency responsible for distribution of drinking water throughout Rajasthan, supplies 16.2 TMC to Jaipur, Tonk and Ajmer cities. Out of the remaining portion, 8.95 TMC water gets evaporated, while another 8 TMC water is reserved for agriculture purposes only. The fisheries department contracts the water body for breeding every year. 

Cost Of Bringing Water To City Is 5 Times The Average Tariff

Rs 18 per 1,000 ltr

This includes, the transmission, treatment and tax component

2,000 tanker trips

Who Gets What

38.7thousand million cubic feet (TMC) is the capacity of Bisalpur Dam, which accounts for two-thirds of the total requirement of Jaipur’s drinking water. Out of this, 33.15 TMC is usable for human consumption. The remaining is left untouched for the aquatic life. PHED supplies 16.2 TMC to Jaipur, Tonk and Ajmer cities. 8.95 TMC water gets evaporated, while another 8 TMC water is reserved for irrigation. 

100-km line

Jaipur’s water needs are met by Bisalpur Dam located 100 km away in neighbouring Tonk district 

(From left to right: Water from Bisalpur Dam is routed through pipeline dedicated for supply to Jaipur and Ajmer. A separate pipeline transmits water to the residents of Tonk where the dam is located; After the water is treated for human consumption, it is transmitted to different pump houses in different localities for supply. There are two feeders, Western and Central, that take care of the ‘transmission’; In residential areas, where the supply lines for carrying Bisalpur water are not laid, tankers are engaged by the PHED. The biggest refilling point for tankers is located at the Transport Nagar.)

Tube-wells take over when the dam falls short 

• The Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) is preparing to dig 279 tube-wells in the city to quench the thirst of the people of Jaipur. 
• The decision to dig this many bore wells was taken after an assessment of the water available in the Bisalpur Dam pointed to insufficient water to meet the demand. Officials said that the digging of additional bore wells is being taken up so that there is no water crunch in city during summer months.
• Since Jaipur is largely fed by the Bisalpur Dam, where the water level has gone down because of below average rainfall last season, there is an increased dependence on tubewells to meet the demand for water.
• The areas near Dravyavati River, which flows through the heart of the city, has been identified for digging up these new tube-wells. The water body will alow the PHED engineers to tap underground water at a far lesser depth than at other places in the city. 
• Officials informed DNA that the bidding process for the digging of tube-wells will be completed soon. The first supply from the new tube-wells shall be possible around March when the residents can expect better average daily supply.  
• At present, water from 223 tube-wells is already being supplied to various parts of the city. These tube-wells together are providing an additional 38 MLD water to the consumers in city. The drilling of new tube-wells will take up their numbers past 500, which is going to compensate for the lack of water in the Bisalpur Dam.
• Inadequate water supply in city could be witnessed even in the winter season when usually, the demand is low. In past years, contingency plan for winters has never been a topic of discussion in the PHED city circle and plans were always made for the approaching summer months.
• The department has had to reduce the water supply from 44 crore litres to 35 crore litres daily since the last week of August in 2018.  This was done due to low inflow of water into the Bisalpur  Dam. The remaining water supply was taken up with the help of tube-wells.
• Notably, the department had started the process before assembly elections. However, due to implementation of model code of conduct the work on tube-wells slowed down. The enginners want that the city residents should not face water trouble in coming days, especially in summer months, and are, therefore, expediting the process.

Demand & Supply

Currently Jaipur gets total supply of 430 mld water

Out of this, from Bisalpur dam 300 mld

From tubewells 130 mld

2000 Tubwells in Jaipur