kolkata: As part of its sustained efforts to cut down dependency on ground water by removing deep tube wells, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is coming up with a capsule booster pumping station at ward 95 at an expense of about Rs 20 crore.
More than 10,000 people will be benefitted from the project.
Ward 95 covers parts of Regent Park in Golf Green and certain neighborhoods in Tollygunge of South Kolkata. The project is one of the major projects happening in the ward.
The pumping station with 32 lakh litre capacity is coming up on a vacant land just opposite to the local councillor's office.
The land used to be a pond a long time back but had dried up due to neglect and had presently been turned into a garbage dumping ground posing health hazards among the residents.
"Ground water is depleting and at the same time, the demand for potable drinking water is increasing. Once, the project becomes functional we can replace at least 8-9 deep tubewells,' local councilor Tapan Dasgupta said.
"The dump yard has been freed and at the same time the complaints regarding less pressure of water in the remote areas of the ward will also be a thing of the past once it gets commissioned," added Dasgupta.
Covid pandemic have pushed back the targeted date of completion of the project. However with situations improving work is going on a war footing.
The cost of increase in pipes is presently posing a hurdle but the councilor is optimistic that the project will be completed by the end of 2023.
A booster pumping station will also come up at Marcus Square near College Street in North Kolkata.
It will replace the existing one at Mohammad Ali Park. The matter has already been cleared at the monthly meeting of the civic body held recently.
"The new semi-underground reservoir-cum-booster pumping station on turnkey basis with a capacity of 4 million gallon (mgd) will supply drinking water to large parts of Central Kolkata and will entail an investment of Rs 40 crore. It will come up on a vacant plot of land at Marcus Square," a senior official of KMC's Water Supply department had said.