The government has lobbied for three projects — the Renuka, Khishau and Lakhawar-Vyasi dams — that have been lying unimplmented with the Himachal Pradesh government .

Last week, the government sent Himachal Rs 200 crore as the first tranche of funds for the projects, which are to provide Delhi with over 400 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) water, said Delhi government officials. The funds are meant expressly for land acquisition.

“We needed the supply as the estimated population for the city is 24 million by the year 2012. Already, the present supply of water is inadequate,” said Chief Secretary Delhi Rakesh Mehta.

Currently, Delhi consumes around 900 MGD — the figure is only bound to increase. Delhi is to receive 23,000 litres every second from this scheme through a gravity pipeline that would cross through Haryana. Experts estimate that over 24 hours, the city will get nearly 20 crore litres of additional drinking water from this scheme.

“We met the Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary last month and all the plans were finalised then,” Mehta said. The water will be brought directly to the Sonia Vihar treatment plant and be redistributed from there.

All three dams are to be undertaken by the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), an undertaking of the Himachal Pradesh government.

The dams were conceptualised and a plan was drawn up as far back as 1994. But the projects have been in cold storage for years.

“Intermittent attempts have been made to revive them. But the urgency came home with the impending Commonwealth Games. We have been lobbying to expedite the work and began the process seven months ago,” said a senior government official.

“The Himachal government is currently working out the relief and rehabilitation packages for those who will be affected by the construction,” said an official.