The VMC had submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the sanctioning of a water treatment plant, which received the go-ahead from the JNNURM headquarters at Delhi.

VMC officials said the approval has come at the right time. “We were hoping that the project would be initiated by 2009. We expect it to get complete by 2011 because the planning has been done that way,” said Darshin Mehta, Executive Engineer, JNNURM projects.

Upon completion, the plant will supply 75 Million Litres per Day (MLD) water to the city, drawn from the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) canal.

Mehta said the new plant will come up on the outskirts of the city near Sevasi village and supply water to three major tanks at Gotri, Harinagar and Tandalja.

“These three tanks will supply water in their respective areas, but we are sure that the water supplied to the tanks will be more than the requirement. The additional supply will be diverted to other areas through the distribution network,” he said.

The VMC had originally demanded about 300 MLD water from SSNNL authorities, but the demand was turned down.

SSNNL officials had said they would not be able to commit 300 MLD water for the future planning and the deal was finally settled at 75 MLD.