Bhaskar Breaking: Rs 400 crore roadmap to prevent gulf floods: 16-km line to divert gulf from Kathor-Chhedchha to Tapi will cost Rs 7 crore per km

More than 5 lakh people were affected by the Gulf floods in the city for the seventh year. The municipality has come into action mode. Padmashri Mathur Savani had suggested to examine the possibility of diverting the water of Seemada creek from Chhedachha village to Tapi by hard and mithikhadi for a permanent solution, so that the municipality has prepared a road map in this direction. If the gulf is diverted, it is estimated to cost 300 to 400 crores. For this, a 16 km long pipeline has to be laid, which costs more than Rs 110 crore per km. Also, the water from the creek cannot be released directly into the tapi. Since Rs 960 crore has been spent on tapi purification, the contaminated water of the gulf has to be treated and released, so a sewage treatment plant has to be built, which costs 100 to 150 crores. In addition, the cost of operation maintenance is also high. Now the feasibility will be checked. Approval of various departments of the state and central government will also have to be taken for the project. After this, the project can go ahead after the grant of Rs 300-400 crore is approved from the government. Further work will be done after getting in-principle approval of the project in the coming days. Questions raised over tapi purification project diverted to river Under the Rs 960-crore Tapi Purification Project, water is being released by treating stps from Surat to Kankrapar to prevent contaminated water outlets mixing in Tapi. Now if the water of the creek is treated and released into Tapi, then the municipality can be put in trouble in the future. Because, the water of illegal drainage connections of the houses on the gulf coast as well as the contaminated water of industries and markets is also being disposed of, so if this water is released in Tapi, then someone can challenge it in the National Green Tribunal in the future. The municipality gives 1550 MLD of water daily, but only 1200 MLD is dissolved in the drainage. The most important thing is that there are large-scale illegal drainage connections in the city, which are being tried to legalize. The municipality provides 1550 MLD (10 lakh litres per day) of water to the people daily, but only 1200 MLD of it comes in the drainage. The remaining 350 MLD being illegal connections is going to the creek or directly to Tapi, so that the sewage water backs up during tapipur and sewage water during khadipur.