Pimpri-Chinchwad: Bhama-Askhed Water Pipeline Project Delayed; Costs Escalate Due to Power Pole Relocation
Pimpri, 1st March 2025: The long-delayed Bhama-Askhed water pipeline project, crucial for augmenting Pimpri-Chinchwad’s water supply, is facing further setbacks as costs continue to rise. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has now issued a ₹3,04,63,448 tender to relocate high-voltage electricity poles obstructing the pipeline’s construction, adding to the project’s overall expenditure.
To meet the demands of the city’s growing population, PCMC had planned to bring in 267 million liters per day (MLD) of water—100 MLD from Andhra Dam and 167 MLD from Bhama-Askhed Dam. In 2020, the civic body awarded the contract for the 19-kilometer-long water pipeline to Offshore India Ltd., with an estimated cost of ₹162 crore and a completion deadline of 15th December 2024. However, four years later, only 50% of the work has been completed, with just nine kilometers of the pipeline laid. The contractor has now been granted a one-year extension to finish the remaining work.
A major hurdle in the project’s progress has been the presence of 300 high-pressure electricity poles obstructing the pipeline route from Wada’s wastewater collection center to Indori in Khed. To address this, PCMC has floated a short-term tender of ₹3.04 crore for a seven-day bidding process. The relocation of these poles will proceed once the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) grants permission, and the work is expected to take another year.
Meanwhile, the plan to bring water from Andhra Dam to the Chikhali water purification center via a 7.5-kilometer-long channel remains stalled, with no work initiated yet. Currently, Pimpri-Chinchwad relies on water drawn from the Indrayani River via the Nighoje Dam. The continuous delays and rising costs in the Bhama-Askhed project raise concerns about the city’s future water security, making its swift completion a pressing issue.
