Jaipur: Even as the Water Resources Department (WRD) rolls out the Ramjal Setu Link Project (RSLP), the state Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has begun laying the second Bisalpur pipeline to Jaipur. The project serves a dual purpose, which includes increasing the capacity to transfer Bisalpur water to the city and enabling uninterrupted supply during maintenance or repair work. With two pipelines running simultaneously, the department will be able to carry out routine upkeep and promptly address any leakages without disrupting the water flow to Jaipur.Speaking to TOI, a senior PHED engineer said, the department is in the process of selecting and awarding a work order to an agency for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).According to the initial plan, the new pipeline will connect the Surajpura filter plant near Bisalpur Dam and the recently commissioned intermediate pumphouse in Renwal, around 10 km away from the PHED’s storage facility in Balawala in Sanganer.PHED will also augment the facility of the Surajpura filter plant, while the WRD has started works to increase the intake capacity of this filter plant from the Bisalpur Dam. At present, PHED has a capacity to transfer around 820 MLD (million litres per day) of water to Jaipur, of which 710 MLD is meant for Jaipur city and the rest for other areas en route. The WRD has agreed to increase PHED (Jaipur)’s share by another 400 MLD from Bisalpur, post-implementation of RSLP.“However, we have plans to commission the second pipeline with a transfer capacity of around 1,500 MLD. The 1,200-odd MLD of water is planned in accordance with the projected population of 2039,” an engineer added. Officials said, the implementation of the project has already been delayed by two years. The department planned to prepare the DPR in 2023 and would start the constructions immediately after WRD initiated the RSLP or the erstwhile Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.
