Akola is preparing a ₹87.67-crore water infrastructure plan to address an acute shortage that has reduced municipal supply to once every 11 days, with a new pipeline proposed between the Morna and Mahan projects and tanker deliveries planned from Akot for some parts of the city.
The measures were announced at a press conference by MLA Randhir Savarkar, who said water from the Morna project would be treated and supplied to Akola after the two projects are connected. The announcement was made against the backdrop of drought conditions and low storage in the Mahan project, which currently supplies the city.
According to the information presented at the briefing, Akola has a population of about seven lakh. The Mahan project has 10.924 million cubic metres of live storage, equivalent to 12.65% of its live capacity. It also has 11.32 million cubic metres of dead storage, of which around half is considered usable but would require pumping to extract.
The low level has already affected the frequency of supply. The city is currently receiving water on the 11th day, and authorities are considering multiple measures to manage demand and maintain distribution as the available stock declines.
The proposed connection to the Morna project is intended to create an additional source. Morna reportedly has 25.65 million cubic metres of water available, representing 61.86% of its storage capacity. The plan involves laying 700-mm and 600-mm diameter pipelines from the Morna project to the Mahan water treatment plant, along with the associated works needed to convey and process the water.
Seven pumps, each with a capacity of 200 horsepower, are proposed for lifting and transporting the water. After treatment at the Mahan facility, the Morna water would be supplied to Akola through the city’s existing distribution system, according to Savarkar’s statement.
The plan also includes bringing treated water by tanker from the water treatment plant at Akot for supply to some city wards. The reported distance between Akot and Akola is about 50 kilometres, making the proposal a short-term logistical response alongside the longer pipeline intervention. The announcement did not specify the number of tankers, the daily volume to be transported, or the wards that would receive this supply.
The press conference was attended by MP Anup Dhotre, standing committee chairman Vijay Agrawal and city unit president Jayant Masne. The information released so far sets out the proposed cost, pipeline diameters and pumping capacity, but does not provide a completion schedule or details of the contracting and implementation process.
The immediate challenge for Akola is to maintain supply while the Mahan project’s usable reserves remain limited. The next steps will involve carrying out the pipeline and pumping works, arranging tanker operations from Akot and treating the Morna water before it enters the city’s supply network.
