Ranchi’s long-delayed urban water supply project is nearing completion, with the Jharkhand government targeting piped drinking water for another 15,000 households by next May after more than 90% of the work was completed. Officials said the city already has nearly 1,100 km of distribution pipelines and around 55,000 household connections.
The project was reviewed on Friday by Sunil Kumar, principal secretary of the state urban development and housing department. He directed executing agencies and the Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company (JUIDCO) to accelerate the remaining work and warned that delays would not be tolerated.
The main obstacle is a 10-km trunk pipeline linking Tilta on Ring Road with Piska More along Ratu Road. The state government is expected to release Rs 32 crore to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for road-cutting and restoration costs. Officials said the pipeline work could take about six months after NHAI grants the necessary clearance.
The project also has a remaining 400-metre section of the main pipeline between Rukka and Tilta Chowk. Kumar directed the construction agency to complete this stretch, which forms part of the network needed to move treated water into the city’s distribution system.
Another key component is the under-construction 360 million litres per day intake well at Rukka Dam. Kumar instructed officials to ensure that the intake well is completed by April. Officials said commissioning the intake well, along with the newly built water treatment plant, would allow water supply to be extended to nearly 15,000 additional households.
The figures indicate that Ranchi’s water-supply expansion has moved beyond the initial network-building phase but remains dependent on a small number of critical links. While the distribution system has reached thousands of homes, the trunk pipeline, intake well and treatment plant must be completed and commissioned before the additional connections can receive a regular piped supply.
The road-cutting permission and restoration arrangement with NHAI therefore remain an immediate implementation milestone. The government’s stated target is to complete the pending works and bring the next 15,000 households into the network by next May.
