No water from Vaitarna dam yet
Mumbaikars will not be able to get water supply from the Middle Vaitarna dam this year, despite the completion of the dam. Due to a delay in the construction of a bridge over the Vaitarna River, the civic body will not be able to store water in the newly-constructed dam.
Once water is stored in the completed dam, the existing British era bridge connecting the nearby villages would go under water. In 2007, the civic body had given the task of building a 50-metre high new bridge on
Mokhada-Khodala Road near the dam to the public works department (PWD). The bridge was expected to be completed by March 2011.
In order to ensure full supply from the next monsoon, the bridge should have been completed by May this year. Later, PWD officials assured completion of the bridge by August. However, according to civic officials, the bridge will not be completed even by the end of this monsoon.
Mayor Sunil Prabhu has demanded strict action against the PWD officials and the contractor for failing to complete the project on time. “Due to delay in work, the dam this monsoon would not be filled to its full capacity. Hence, Mumbaikars will be deprived of a daily supply of 455 million litres of water. The chief minister should take action against the PWD officials and contractor,” he said.
Currently, the BMC could supply only 200 mld water from the dam. A delay in bridge construction work on the dam has already cost the BMC an additional expenditure of `14 crore. The earlier cost of the project was `16 crore. But, as the work was delayed, the cost was later reworked to `30 crore.
According to PWD officials, this is the tallest bridge that they would be constructing till date. Problems in getting labourers from outside the state has led to delay in the project.
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