Pipeline work begins, gives hopes to Kharghar locals hit by water crisis

FINALLY High court, forest dept give nod for the project which falls in CRZ, forest land

PANVEL: Residents disgruntled with the water shortage can now heave a sigh of relief as work on a new pipeline between Kamothe and Kharghar has begun.

City and Industrial Development Cor poration ( Cidco) is laying the pipeline, which had been stalled as 1km of it falls in the creek area.

Owing to the incomplete Kalamboli- Hetawane g rid, nodes in the Cidco jurisdiction are facing a water crunch despite there being water in the Hetawane Dam.

The pipeline between Kamothe- Kharghar will complete the grid. The project had been delayed as the pipeline lies in the Coastal Regulation Zone ( CRZ) and the forest, environment and other departments had not granted due permissions.

“Now t he Bombay high court has given permission and the environment and forest departments too have given the go- ahead. The work has been entrusted to Koya and Company,” said a Cidco official on condition of anonymity.

“Cidco had earlier earmarked the area for laying the pipeline. Piling work has begun. Columns will be erected and the pipeline will be placed on them,” said a representative of Koya and Company.

The 1,500mm-diametre water pipeline will be laid from Kamothe’s Mansarovar Hotel to Kharghar’s Sector 26. The pipeline will supply water from Hetawane Dam to Kharghar, Kamothe and Kalamboli. It will also make it easier to supply water from Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran ( MJP) to Kamothe node.

Water supply pipelines in New Panvel, Khanda colony, Kalamboli, Kamothe and Kharghar nodes have been connected to each other. New Panvel and Kalamboli nodes get water from MJP.

Kamothe gets water from Na vi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s (NMMC) morbe dam. However, since the water level in the dam is low, Kamothe is now receiving less water.

While Cidco has reserved 150 mld from Hetawane Dam for Kharghar, there is no provision for supply to other nodes.

BACHCHAN KUMAR Pipes stacked at the project site in Kharghar on Saturday.