Jaitley announces Rs 50-cr for HP’s Renuka Dam to quench Capital’s thirst
Apart from the Rs 500 crore Budget allocation towards water reforms in the national Capital, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also made a separate allocation of Rs 50 crore towards expediting the completion of the long-pending Renuka Dam in Himachal Pradesh.
While announcing funds worth Rs 700 crore for the water and power reforms in his budget speech, Jaitley said, “In addition, to solve the long-term water supply issues in the Capital region, construction of long-pending Renuka Dam would be taken up on priority with the initial support of Rs 50 crore by the Central Government,” he said.
Commissioning of the Renuka Dam is significant to solving Delhi’s water crisis as the Capital is expected to get as much as 275 million gallons of water daily (MGD) through it. Besides, the dam would also generate 40MW of electricity for Himachal Pradesh. While the current demand-supply deficit of water in Delhi stands at about 400 MGD, the demand is projected to touch around 1,400 MGD by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan in 2017. Delhi relies heavily on neighbouring States — such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh — for the supply of raw water.