PCMC to decide on Rs20 lakh sanction for water report

The standing committee of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), during its weekly meeting on Tuesday, will consider a proposal to sanction Rs20 lakh for preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the project of lifting water for Pimpri Chinchwad directly from Andra-Maval dam through a closed pipeline.

The proposal is tabled by the civic administration for a project estimated to incur an expense of about Rs217.15 crore, with Rs20 lakh needed to prepare the DPR.

The PCMC has asked Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) to prepare the DPR. The authority has already submitted the primary project report to PCMC. Accordingly, the PCMC had sought permission of the irrigation department on August 8, 2012 to lift 39.60 million litres per day (MLD) water from the Andra Maval dam. A presentation of the project was made to PCMC commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi on August 18.

The PCMC has also sent the primary report of the project of lifting water from Andra Maval dam to the state. There are two alternatives available for PCMC to lift water from Andra Maval dam — to lay a closed pipeline to lift water from the dam directly or construct Kolhapur-type weir at Dehu or Talawade to store the water. MWWRA has recommended the option of lifting water directly from dam after verifying the water quality.

At present, Pavana dam is the only source of water for Pimpri-Chinchwad. With the twin township growing, and its population at the 18-lakh mark already, PCMC is tapping new water sources.