Shimla to get water from Kol Dam by 2022

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 13

The Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) has set 2022 as the new deadline for completion of the Rs315-crore Kol Dam lift drinking water scheme that will provide 24X7 supply to residents of the capital city.

“The Kol Dam project aims at proving 67 MLD water daily to residents, taking care of the water needs of the city up to 2050,” said the SJPNL manager.

“At present, Shimla on an average gets supply of over 40 MLD and an additional 67 MLD water daily from Kol Dam will make it 107 MLD, which will provide 24X7 water supply to local residents,” said Dharmender Gill, chief executive officer, SJPNL, a government-run company that oversees water and the sewerage system of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC).

The Kol Dam water scheme was conceived in 2016 and it took the SMC and the state government three years to speed up the work. “We have received bids from six companies for the project and it will take us two months to examine their techno-financial details. The tender will be awarded to the best bidder,” Gill said.

The best bidder would be given three years and six months to complete the work. “The contractor will maintain the project for 10 years. If all goes well, we hope the project will be complete by 2022,” Gill said.

“The estimated cost of the project is Rs315 crore. It is being funded by the World Bank. We have already received Rs280 crore from the World Bank,” Gill said.

The SJPNL has started the process to get the forest clearance for the project. “We hope to get all NOCs in three months,” he said.

The SJPNL would construct the main water treatment unit at Shakrori — located between Sunni town and Chaba on the Sutlej. After the water is lifted for treatment, the main water pipeline would pass through Devidhar and Dumin to the main Sanjauli storage tank.

“We will construct a storage tank at Dhalli for this water scheme, which will have the storage capacity of six MLD. The current distribution system in the city will be upgraded,” Gill added.