HOWRAH: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has taken up construction of a water treatment plant in Howrah that will benefit around 4.5 lakh people within the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) jurisdiction. The Rs 75-crore proposed 29 million gallon per day (MGD) water treatment plant will come up in the Golabari area and go a long way in solving the acute water crisis in large areas of north Howrah.
This is the second major water supply scheme planned for Howrah after the Padmapukur plant, which was constructed 36 years ago.
Residents of large areas of north Howrah such as Fakirbagan, Dharmatolla Road, Pilkhana, Salkia, Nanda Ghosh Lane and Bandhaghat have been hit by a severe water crisis following large-scale construction of highrises in the belt. According to a HMC engineering department official, Padmapukur water treatment plant hardly meets the water demands of north Howrah as there is no adequate water pressure in the entire belt as the existing plant is 10km away. Water shortage in some north Howrah areas is so acute that it compels locals to buy water regularly.
Golabari resident and a BJP leader Umesh Rai welcomed the state government’s initiative to set up a water treatment plant to mitigate water crisis in north Howrah. “We have been demanding the augmentation of potable water for the past 10 years. Finally, it’s happening. We will happily wait for its inauguration,” Rai said.
HMC board of administrators chairman Arup Roy on Saturday said the joint inspection of the proposed plant site was done by KMDA and HMC engineers. “We hope to start the construction by October and complete it in 18 months,” Roy said.
