The project has been completed a year ahead of the official deadline.

Thane city’s water woes have been so severe that a few months ago, the corporation had appealed to the neighboring Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation no provide about 40 mld of water to enhance the supply to the city’s 17-lakh strong population. Some areas received civic water supply only once in 36 hours.

“All the work on the scheme is complete. We have already started lifting water partly. Full water supply form this project will begin in March,” said city engineer of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) K D Lala.

As many as 7 lakh people are expected to benefit from the 110 mld water scheme.

The biggest area to benefit will be Ghodbunder Road, home to scores of large housing complexes and a seemingly endless array of new construction sites. The hilly region of Wagle estate and the slum areas of Indira Nagar will also benefit.

While water connections in many of these areas was partly through the MIDC, the TMC will now be able to supply water on its own in these regions.

At a cost of Rs 72 crore, the project was constructed under the Centre’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and involved laying of additional water pipelines, modifying the existing pumping station and augmenting the filtration plant at Temghar, in order to lift water from a weir at Bhatsa and in the Pise region.

The existing water supply of Thane city is 390 mld, set to rise to 500 mld with the addition of this project. The new scheme will be able to fulfill the water supply needs for an estimated population of 22 lakh till 2016, it is estimated.

Thane city has witnessed a growth of six-seven per cent per annum. “In the last few years, Ghodbunder Road has developed rapidly with a number of high-rises and housing complexes. The hilly areas on the northern side of Thane were also deprived of adequate water. Now all these places will get sufficient water,” he added. “We could neither stop development or tell builders to go slow on construction. Upgradation of the existing infrastructure was most necessary.”