Gurgaon: GMDA has started trial runs of an 18-km pipeline, which runs from Chandu Budhera water treatment plant to the Sector 72 boosting station, laid to improve drinking water supply across new sectors along the Southern Peripheral Road. The authority is aiming to finish trials by the end of June. At present, new sectors depend on the Sector 51 boosting station, which is unable to meet peak demand, forcing several residential societies to rely on private water tankers.Around 10 km of the pipeline has been tested, while the remaining stretch will be tested in phases. Once operational, the boosting station in Sector 72 is expected to ensure adequate water supply to sectors 58 to 80, many of which experience recurring shortages.During trials, leakages were detected at two locations near Sector 88, resulting in subsidence on a newly constructed service road. The damaged portions were repaired immediately, officials said.The project, estimated to cost Rs 63 crore and spread over 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 completion initially targeted within nine months. However, work slowed during the Covid-19 pandemic and was further impacted by annual construction bans across NCR.While the construction of the station was completed in 2022, the second phase, involving installation of machinery, began in Feb that year with a 12-month deadline.Progress was again hit due to the unavailability of land for a 500-metre stretch required for laying inlet and outlet pipelines between Chandu Budhera and the boosting station.To work around this, GMDA revised the alignment and laid around 650 metres of pipeline between Fazilpur Road and Sector 71.The project also faced a fresh hurdle when NHAI halted pipeline work beneath the Dwarka Expressway after cavities were detected along the stretch, stalling work for nearly two months. The work was allowed to resume in Dec after clearance from the authority. A total of 985-metre pipeline was laid between Chandu Budhera WTP and the boosting station in Sector 72, which was only completed last month.
