The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has initiated trial runs of an 18-kilometer pipeline designed to enhance drinking water supply across new sectors along the Southern Peripheral Road. This pipeline stretches from the Chandu Budhera water treatment plant to the Sector 72 boosting station. The authority aims to finalize these trials by the end of June.
Currently, the new sectors depend on the Sector 51 boosting station, which fails to meet peak demand, forcing numerous residential societies to rely on private water tankers. Approximately 10 kilometers of the pipeline have already been tested, with the remaining portion to be evaluated in phases. Once fully operational, the Sector 72 boosting station is expected to ensure adequate water supply to sectors 58 through 80, many of which experience recurring shortages.
During the trial runs, leakages were detected at two locations near Sector 88, causing subsidence on a newly constructed service road. Officials reported that the damaged sections were repaired promptly.
The project, estimated to cost Rs 63 crore and spanning 4 acres, has faced repeated delays since its inception. The foundation for the 240 MLD station in Sector 72 was laid in June 2019, with an initial completion target of nine months. However, progress slowed during the Covid-19 pandemic and was further hampered by annual construction bans across the National Capital Region (NCR).
Although the construction of the station was completed in 2022, the second phase, involving machinery installation, began in February of that year with a 12-month deadline. Progress was again hindered due to the unavailability of land for a 500-meter stretch required for laying inlet and outlet pipelines between Chandu Budhera and the boosting station.
To address this, GMDA revised the pipeline alignment and laid approximately 650 meters of pipeline between Fazilpur Road and Sector 71. The project also encountered a fresh obstacle when the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) halted pipeline work beneath the Dwarka Expressway after cavities were detected along the stretch, stalling work for nearly two months. Work resumed in December after clearance from the authority. A total of 985 meters of pipeline was laid between the Chandu Budhera WTP and the boosting station in Sector 72, which was only completed last month.
