AMRITSAR: A four-member World Bank team visited Amritsar to review the progress of the Amritsar Bulk Water Supply Scheme (ABWSS), launched by the Punjab Government to ensure a continuous supply of clean water to the city's residents.
It may be noted that the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar (MCA) is implement ing the Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP) with the support of the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The ABWSS project is being implemented under this initiative. Under the project, water from the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) will be treated and supplied to households across the city in the coming period.
For this purpose, a Water Treatment Plant (WTP) with a capacity of 440 million litres per day is being constructed near Vallah. In addition, new water storage tanks are being constructed across the city, existing reservoirs are being renovated, and pipeline-laying work is progressing rapidly.
The World Bank team, comprising Rozana Nitty, Maria Luisa, Charu Jain, and Shriti Munshi, visited the Water Treatment Plant under construction at Vallah, along with other project-related construction sites, to assess the project's progress.
Subsequently, the team held a project review meeting with Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill. During the meeting, the Commissioner stated that the project had reached its final stage and that system testing would commence shortly. He further informed the World Bank team that the project would help address the problem of declining groundwater levels.
The World Bank team appreciated the measures being undertaken for the welfare of workers engaged in the project, including the arrangements made at their accommodation camps. The team also appreciated the safety measures being implemented for the general public and the steps taken to minimise environmental impacts in areas surrounding the construction sites.
The meeting was attended by Harpal Singh Bhullar, Project Manager, PMIDC; Dr. Jitin Vasudeva, SE (Projects); Kuldeep Singh Saini, Project Manager (Retired Chief Engineer); Divtesh Virdi, XEN; Narinderpal Singh; Ashwani Kumar; Sukhbir Singh; Badal Soni; Dr. Sumit Arora; and other MCA officials.
Key Facts About the Project
•Construction of New Water Tanks: 39 new water storage tanks are being constructed under the project.
•Renovation of Existing Water Tanks: 24 existing water storage tanks are also being renovated under the project.
•Continuous Water Supply: The project aims to provide a continuous supply of clean water to the city, replacing the existing supply schedule of approximately 10–12 hours per day.
•Pipeline Network: A 112-kilometre-long pipeline network is being laid to supply water from the Water Treatment Plant at Vallah to the new and existing water storage tanks.
•Water Quality and Groundwater Conservation: The supplied water will meet the drinking water quality standards prescribed under ISO 10500:2012.
•SCADA-Based Monitoring: The new water supply system will be monitored online from a central control room through a modern Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This will enable timely detection of faults and facilitate prompt corrective action.