Indore's quest for Narmada water still unresolved

Here is a reality check for Indore residents counting on the Narmada phase III to overcome water scarcity in the city. Three months after it began work on the project, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), the nodal agency is undecided about where to tap the river to siphon 360 million litres daily (mld) required for the first phase of the scheme.

As per the agreement inked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), under the Rs 671.72 crore Urban Water Supply and Environment Improvement Project (UWSEIP) the intake site would continue to be at Jalud village near Mandleshwar (110 km from Indore).

PHED, however, is pondering over the modalities of drawing water either from the temple town of Omkareshwar or the controversial Indira Sagar Project (ISP) dam, believing these to be more economical.

The project implementation unit (PIU) set up to execute the UWSEIP is conducting an energy audit of the three sites as part of the cost benefit analysis. The results, which are expected to be in shortly, would be forwarded to the project management unit (PMU) in Bhopal, which will finalise the site in consultation with the project consultant, M Louis Berger, and the PIU officials at a meeting next week.

Even if the energy audit favours the temple town, it would have a long way to go. "The path through which the PIU proposes to bring Narmada water from Omkareshwar, includes a stretch of forest land, 30 km by 30 metre, as well as 45 km of state highway land on the Khandwa road. Getting departmental clearances for their acquisition could take years and delay the project," points out a senior official.

So, the million dollar question is, why the PIU is risking a breach of agreement lawsuit from the ADB.

"Although it would entail higher fixed costs, locating the intake site at Omkareshwar or ISP would be more cost effective in the long run by offering considerable savings on recurring expenses. Both these places have a higher minimum draw-down level - the amount of water needed to keep turbines operational - than Mandleshwar," said Prabhash Shankhla, PIU executive engineer.