Gurgaon: After years of managing stretched water resources, parts of the city are set to see stable supply as the fourth unit at Chandu Budhera water treatment plant (WTP) becomes operational. GMDA has ramped up the plant’s capacity with the newly constructed unit supplying 90 million litres per day (MLD) to the city’s network.The upgrade is expected to ease the burden on the city’s water distribution system, which has struggled to keep up with the rapid growth — particularly along Dwarka Expressway and in older, densely populated colonies.With this addition, the total supply from Chandu Budhera has gone up from 300 to 390 MLD. After the new unit becomes fully operational, it will take the plant’s supply up to 400 MLD.Combined with the 270 MLD being treated at the Basai plant, the total supply across the city currently stands at 660 MLD, which will further increase to 670 MLD.However, this is still short of the estimated peak demand of 700 MLD.The third unit of the Chandu Budhera plant was commissioned in 2019. Since then, thousands of residential units have come up across the city, especially in sectors 81 to 115, many of which have seen frequent disruptions in piped water supply. Residents in these areas have often relied on private water tankers to meet their daily needs, especially during summer.Several parts of Old Gurgaon are also likely to benefit from the upgrade. Residents of villages and colonies including Dayanand Colony, Gurgaon Gaon, New Colony, and Arjun Nagar have seen an improved supply. Similarly, tail-end areas of DLF 1, 2, and 3, and sectors 21, 22, and 23, which have often reported low pressure and inconsistent supply, have also seen some improvement after the new unit became operational.Compared to last year, officials say the number of complaints this summer has been lower. “The additional capacity has brought stability in water supply, and we are better positioned now. We have an improved supply from Chandu Budhera and we have also worked closely with MCG and developers to ensure that the local distribution network is functioning properly. Raw water availability at Basai was also ensured by interconnecting both plants through new pumping machinery. As of now, Basai is running at optimal levels,” a GMDA official said.Meanwhile, in May this year, water storage at the Basai plant dropped to 598 million litres—less than half of its 1,385 million-litre capacity, due to inadequate raw water availability. However, GMDA stabilised the supply by transferring untreated water from Chandu Budhera to Basai using upgraded motors. This interconnection has allowed both plants to operate closer to the optimal capacity.Residents too, expressed their satisfaction over the improved water supply. Sector 21 RWA president Prakash Lamba said, “The water supply in Sector 21 has improved over the past few weeks. One major reason is that MCG disconnected the Mullahera village line, which was previously linked to our supply and diverted the water. GMDA’s overall water distribution has also improved—we are seeing the difference.”“We have not had complaints regarding water supply over the last two weeks. But GMDA needs to ensure that this consistency is maintained. Even a single technical fault or power outage can disrupt the entire supply cycle,” said Dhruv Bansal, a resident of DLF 1.In Sector 83, however, residents said much more work needed to be done. “We have been living here since 2018, but the supply was only made available in Nov last year,” said Sunil Sharma, RWA president of Emaar Palm Garden. “Although supply to our society has improved recently to around 100–150 KLD, it is insufficient as our daily requirement is nearly 400 KLD.”To further bridge the gap between demand and supply, work on the plant’s fifth unit is undergoing. GMDA officials said around 40% of the civil construction was complete, and equipment procurement was in progress.
