Water shortage may delay Nagpur's Rs 900-crore cement road project

Nagpur fears a serious water crisis this summer, with water levels in the area's reservoirs falling steadily. For this reason, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation is seriously considering postponing the fifth phase of its ambitious cement-concrete road project.

The project, worth around Rs 900 crore, needs lakhs of litres of water for mixing concrete, laying its layers and daily curing. With the corporation's administration struggling to protect drinking water supply, the city is in no position to spend so much water.

Senior officials have made clear that no formal decision to halt the work has been taken yet. But the discussion is leaning towards deferring it.

The office of the executive engineer in the corporation's public works department confirmed that the department is reviewing the situation and that the fifth phase of the cement roads may be postponed. According to the office, the heavy water needed for large-scale concreting will be taken into account when the final decision is made. The office also said that keeping drinking water available is the administration's foremost priority.

Nagpur district recorded its lowest monsoon rainfall in 18 years this time. The main reservoirs supplying the city, including the Pench and Kanhan networks, are now at a critical 58 per cent storage.

Corporation teams have proposed a heavy fine of up to Rs 5,000 for misuse of drinking water. Sending water tankers for construction work would therefore run counter to the water-saving directives.

The fifth phase originally planned to convert 135 major asphalt roads in the corporation's nine zones into concrete roads. These roads span a total of 89.22 km. After recommendations from local MLAs and corporators, the proposal grew to about 265 roads.

The largest share is in Ashi Nagar, where 22 roads account for 16.49 km of work. It is followed by Dharampeth with 15.36 km and Lakadganj with 13.33 km. As in the fourth phase, the plans include roadside storm-water drains and groundwater recharge pits.

Taps have already run dry in many wards. The general view within the administration is therefore that major road works should be held back until inflows into the reservoirs improve in the next monsoon.