Jaipur to secure water future: Bisalpur Project wing to prepare DPR for a new pipeline worth ₹1,886 crore. The initiative aims to end supply disruptions caused by system shutdowns and ensure a stabilised water programme for 30 years.
Residents of Jaipur are soon to receive major relief from water supply disruptions caused by frequent shutdowns in the Bisalpur system. The Bisalpur Project wing will shortly prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a new pipeline to be laid from Bisalpur to Jaipur. Once the DPR is finalised within the next month, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) will initiate the tendering process.
According to department information, the Bisalpur water supply to Jaipur city commenced in 2009. At that time, the project included only a single inlet pipeline. Although an additional inlet pipeline was proposed and land acquisition was completed at the time, the work to lay this extra line never gained momentum. Having this additional pipeline will allow the department to avoid total shutdowns during maintenance or technical faults.
Due to major leakages and other technical issues in the Bisalpur pipeline, the department takes a shutdown two to three times every year. Consequently, the government water supply system in Jaipur city gets derailed. Just last month, the department took a shutdown to repair a leakage in the Bisalpur main supply line near Renwal. As a result, the government water supply across the entire city of Jaipur remained suspended for a full day.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the new pipeline from Bisalpur to Jaipur will be prepared within a month, with the tendering process to follow as soon as possible. On 11 April, Patrika disclosed issues regarding the 17-year-old pipeline and its 33 leakages.
Regarding the delay in drafting the DPR for the new pipeline, Additional Chief Engineer Ajay Singh Rathore stated that the report will be completed within a month. The DPR will be prepared by the Bisalpur Project wing along with a team of retired department engineers. No additional land will be required for the new line, as land alongside the existing pipeline is already reserved.
Once the new pipeline is laid, it will be able to meet the drinking water needs of Jaipur for the next 30 years. Rathore mentioned that once the DPR is ready, they will aim to complete the tendering process quickly to begin work on the ground. Notably, the government had announced the laying of a new pipeline from Bisalpur to Balawala in the budget, costing ₹1,886 crore, to satisfy the city’s drinking water requirements.