Mangaluru: The Jalasiri project, launched in 2019 to provide 24x7 drinking water supply to Mangaluru city, has achieved only 63 per cent physical progress so far. The project, which was originally scheduled to be completed in 2023, has now been extended until December this year. However, there are doubts about whether the work will be completed within the new deadline.

The project was launched to provide clean drinking water to city residents throughout the day. Under the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), the project is being implemented with financial support from the Asian Development Bank under the Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Programme (KIUWMIP).

The total project cost is Rs 821.97 crore, including eight years of operation and maintenance. On December 24, 2019, the work was awarded to M/s Suez Projects Private Limited and DRS Infratech Private Limited.

According to the agreement, the project was supposed to be completed by May 24, 2023. However, officials said the work was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delays in approvals from the National Highways and Railway departments, and land acquisition issues.

Authorities also ordered the construction of a 125 MLD water treatment plant (WTP) at Adyar on January 2, 2024. Officials from the municipal corporation said the work on the plant is currently in progress. However, there are concerns that the pipeline system needed to supply water from this plant to the Padil water treatment facility has not yet been properly planned.

Work completed so far

• The project aims to provide water connections to 93,600 households. So far, 37,025 houses have received connections.




• Out of 52.57 km of main water pipeline planned, 44.64 km has been completed.




• In the distribution network of 1,155.36 km, around 868.84 km has been completed.




• A total of 19 overhead water tanks are planned under the project. Out of these, three have started functioning, 14 have been completed, and work on one tank is still in progress.




• Five ground-level water storage reservoirs are planned. One has been completed, while the civil works for the remaining four have been finished and mechanical works are ongoing.




• Seven pumping stations are planned under the project. Civil work for six stations has been completed and mechanical work is in progress, while civil work at the remaining pumping station is still underway.