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60 ❘ Gujarat Infrastructure ❘ Annual Issue 2017

V I B R A N T G U J A R AT S P E C I A L

Gujarat constantly faces severe waterscarcity. About 70 per cent of the state’sfreshwater resources are located within

30 per cent of its geographical area. Further,several regions such as Saurashtra and Kutchremain arid and receive insufficient rainfall,facing the brunt of frequent droughts. In a bidto mitigate the problem of water scarcity, theGujarat government undertook the develop-ment of a state water supply grid in 2011. Tothis end, it launched the Swarnim GujaratSaurashtra-Kutch Water Grid Project.

Earlier, a large area of the Kutch-Saurash-tra region relied on water supply tankers tomeet their water requirements. In addition, thehigh salinity in the region’s water bodies led todiseases among the local population. Theextreme water crisis compelled people tomigrate to other regions. To augment watersupply to dry areas, Gujarat Water Infrastruc-ture Limited (GWIL) launched the SwarnimGujarat Saurashtra–Kutch Water Grid Project,

which was commissioned in April 2015.

Project detailsA total investment of Rs 25 billion, financed bythe state government, was undertaken for thedevelopment of the water grid. The scope ofwork involved the construction of three pump-ing stations at Dhanki in Lakhtar taluka on thebranch canal of the Narmada canal network.The stations draw water from the riverNarmada, which is conveyed to the Saurashtraand Kutch regions through three bulk watersupply pipelines.

The pipelines span a total length of 361km. This network comprises a 120.5 km longpipeline from Dhanki to Maliya, a 146.1 kmlong pipeline from Dhanki to Hadala, and a94.5 km long pipeline from Dhanki to Navda.Mild steel pipes with diameters ranging from1,850 mm to 2,400 mm have been laid for theexecution of the project.

GWIL awarded the project works to sever-

al organisations. It signed a contract worth Rs6.91 billion with IVRCL Limited. Under theagreement, IVRCL Limited laid the bulk watertransmission main pipeline from Dudhrej PS toNavagam and from Navda to Budhel. Apartfrom carrying out the civil and electromechan-ical works, the company is responsible for theoperations and maintenance (O&M) of thepipes for a five-year period.

Besides, GWIL awarded two contractsworth Rs 5.13 billion to SPML Infra Limited.The first contract worth, Rs 2.67 billion,involved the laying of a 42.4 km long bulkwater transmission main from Dhanki toNavada, near the Ahmedabad-Rajkot nationalhighway (NH-8A). It also involved the engi-neering, procurement and construction (EPC)of a 560 million litre per day (mld) pump houseand other intake arrangements at Dhanki. Thesecond contract was for laying a 33.5 km longbulk water transmission main from Dhanki toDudhrej. It also involved the construction of

Water SuccessInnovative grid project augments supply

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Annual Issue 2017 ❘ Gujarat Infrastructure ❘ 61

V I B R A N T G U J A R AT S P E C I A L

pumping infrastructure, including a 545 mldpump house. The works entailed a total cost ofRs 2.46 billion. Both these projects have beencommissioned. Further, the company has com-menced O&M activities of the infrastructurefor a period of five years.

All EPC projects are highly schedule-dri-ven and the phases are implemented simulta-neously to complete the project as early as pos-sible. However, sometimes companies face sev-eral challenges that lead to cost overruns andproject delays. SPML too faced some chal-lenges while executing these projects. Forinstance, the pipe manufacturers did not havethe facility to manufacture large diameterthree-layered polyethylene coated pipes.Therefore, they had to upgrade their facilitiesto be able to supply the required pipelines.Further, the company had to develop a com-plete logistics chain for the transportation ofheavy pipes (each 12 metre pipe weighed 11.5metric tonnes) using specially made 18-wheeled low bed trailers for the project. SPMLalso devised a mechanism to enhance access tothe site for the safe laying of pipelines indiverse soil and climatic conditions. It was achallenge for the company to weld the pipestogether, given their large diameters. Apartfrom this, post welding, each pipe had to beagain coated with three-layered polyethylene.It was a huge task for the company to placeheavy pumping machineries. Besides, the rota-tors of all pumps for the project had to be spe-cially imported from Germany.

GWIL also awarded a Rs 3.48 billion con-tract to Larsen & Toubro Limited for layingthe bulk water transmission main pipeline inSurendranagar and Junagarh districts of thestate. Further, a Rs 2.89 billion contract wasawarded to Hindustan Construction CompanyLimited. The work involved the constructionof a 57 km long transmission pipeline betweenDhanki and Maliya. Besides, Pratibha Indus-tries Limited was awarded a Rs 4.03 billioncontract for laying a 63 km long pipeline net-work from Dhanki to Chuli.

In addition to the project’s scope ofworks, several other socio-political factors

were kept in mind. For instance, it wasensured that the land acquisition process didnot interfere with the prosperity of farmersand fair land prices were given for the acqui-sition. Further, the project was given clear-ances in a time-bound manner and with ahigh degree of transparency. Focus was alsolaid on effective monitoring and resolution ofissues pertaining to project execution.

The project has some salient features thatare worth highlighting. For instance, all pipesused in the project are coated with three-lay-ered polyethylene and food grade epoxy toprevent corrosion and increase the flow veloc-ity. Moreover, the engineering designs used inthe project are environment friendly. The pro-ject has also received the United NationsPublic Service Award for implementing initia-tives to foster community participation.

Project outcomeThe water scarcity scenario in Gujarat has

changed substantially after the commissioningof the project. The water grid has enabled thestate government to supply water to 132 townsand 11,456 villages in the Saurashtra, Kutch,North Gujarat, Panchmahal and Ahmedabadregions. About 1,650 mld of potable water issupplied to 39 million people across theseregions. Water supply to Rajkot city alone hasbeen augmented by 40 mld. The availability ofwater has also led to a rapid increase in indus-trial development in the otherwise dry region.

ConclusionThe Gujarat water grid project has beenextremely successful in augmenting the supplyof drinking water to the dry regions of the state.It has been reported that the length of itspipeline network is longer than the length of thetotal railways network in India. Further, the sizeof the pipelines used in the project is notewor-thy, with the pipes capable of allowing a smallvehicle to pass through it.

Owing to the project, the state govern-ment has seen an increase in the number ofhousehold water connections. In addition, ithas reduced people’s reliance on groundwaterand rainfall for meeting their drinking waterneeds. In fact, learning from the experience ofGujarat, several other states, such as Telanganaand Maharashtra, are also in the process ofdeveloping water grids. The project is, there-fore, helping to mitigate water scarcity issuesacross the country. ◗

Contributed by SPML Infra Limited

The Swarnim Gujarat Water Supply Project was initiated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi during his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat. India’s

biggest water supply project is among the largest engineering interventions,

which has helped the state government to provide drinking water to millions

of people across the Saurashtra-Kutch region comprehensively and effec-

tively. Sufficient availability of water has improved the quality of life, as well

as attracted investments for setting up industries in the region. I am proud

that our company, SPML Infra, was a reliable partner in this mega infra-

structure development project. I hope that the phenomenal success of this project will make other

states adopt the same to deal with water scarcity issues.

Views of Sushil Sethi Jain, Managing Director, SPML Infra Limited

The project has led to anincrease in the number ofhousehold water connec-

tions and reduced people’sreliance on groundwaterand rainfall for meeting

their drinking water needs.