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The 24x7 drinking water supply project, catering to the north-west residential zones within the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits, has achieved a significant milestone with approximately 70% progress. This initiative, funded by the Asian Development Bank, is a subproject of the Visakhapatnam Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Program (VCICDP) and operates with a budget of 385 crores.
GVMC officials reported that the project, aimed at delivering round-the-clock water supply to around 50,000 families in the area, is making steady progress. Additionally, it seeks to address water loss by reducing non-revenue water to less than 15%. Presently, the GVMC has successfully initiated uninterrupted water supply to approximately 5,000 households through 24 strategically located district metered areas (DMAs).
GVMC Commissioner CM Saikanth Varma highlighted the civic bodys additional initiatives, including the establishment of a 3-megawatt floating solar power plant on the Meghadri Gedda reservoir. Funded by the urban climate change resilience trust fund under the VCICDP, this project aims to enhance the citys sustainability. Furthermore, developments in the Mudasarlova catchment area have also been undertaken with an investment of about 8 crores from the same resilient trust fund.
As part of the overall urban development strategy, the Asian Development Bank has supported the introduction of 75 electric auto-rickshaws in Vizag. Ten of these vehicles are deployed for passenger transport along the beach road, while the remaining 65 vehicles contribute to solid waste collection, with three battery swapping-cum-service stations constructed by the GVMC.
The 24x7 water supply project, tailored for the northwest region of the city, draws water from the existing Narava water treatment plant. It aims to replace the existing pre-stressed concrete pipeline network with a mild steel pipeline from Narava water treatment plant to Ramakrishnapuram. The project includes the establishment of new ground-level and elevated-level service reservoirs to facilitate continuous water supply. Additionally, a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system will be implemented to manage water supply effectively in the northwest sector.
A pre-project report by the Asian Development Bank outlined that the distribution network covers about 265 km in the northwest sector, with 43 km remaining to be integrated into the 24x7 water supply network for all TOI |
