Rs 5.3 crore water tank to boost supply in Shimla during rains

Shimla, March 9

In a bid to provide a boost to the water supply in the town during monsoons, a pre-sedimentation tank with a capacity of about 5 million litres per day (MLD) will be built as part of the Giri water scheme at a cost of Rs 5.35 crore.

The approval for the construction of this project was granted at a recent meeting of the board of directors of Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL). The Nigam has also started the tender process. The construction of the tank is expected to be completed this year.

Located near Sainj, 42 km from the state’s capital, the Giri river is one of the major sources of drinking water for the town. About 16 to 18 MLD water is supplied from the river to the town. During the monsoons, however, the supply from the river is greatly affected due to the increase in silt in the water.

Last year, the supply of drinking water was greatly affected, due to which many areas of the town were left without water supply for up to four days at stretch.

The Giri water supply scheme, which was started in the year 2008, has a silt treatment capacity of about 2,000 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU). However, during the monsoons, the silt in water reaches around 8,000 NTU, causing disruption in the water supply.

Apart from the tank, the municipal corporation is reviving the British-era Seog tank to augment water supply in the capital. There are around 35,000 drinking water connections in the town —25,000 domestic and 10,000 commercial.