Brace for 8-hour water cut in Diva on Feb 14

According to the Thane Municipal Corporationrsquos Information and Public Relations Department the water supply in Diva City will be temporarily halted for eight hours on Friday February 14 from 1000 AM to 600 PM The disruption is necessary to carry out essential repair work on a major water pipelineThe 500mm diameter main water pipeline supplying water from Nilje to Diva under Ward No 27 and 28 of the Diva Ward Committee has developed significant leakage at Usargar Railway Culvert near the Palava City compound This leakage has been causing frequent lowpressure water supply in the surrounding areas Consequently urgent repairs are required to prevent further loss and ensure a steady water supply in the futureOnce the repairs are completed waterrelated complaints in several areas under the Diva Ward Committeemdashincluding Aagsan Betewade Ganesh Nagar Bedekar Nagar Mhasoba Nagar Shanti Nagar Mumbra Devi Colony Sabe Gaon and Diva Westmdashare expected to reduce significantlyDuring the repair work water supply to Ward No 27 and 28 of Diva City will remain suspended for eight hours Additionally even after the restoration of supply water pressure is likely to remain low for the next one to two daysResidents are advised to store adequate water in advance and cooperate with the Thane Municipal Corporation during this periodThane Municipal Corporation seeks international funding for ecofriendly projectsTheThane Municipal CorporationTMC is actively working towards securing financial assistance from the central government and international financial institutions for its various environmentally sustainable projects As part of this effort preliminary discussions have been held with the International Finance Corporation IFC which has agreed to support the corporation in exploring funding options according to Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh RaoA formal agreement between the International Finance Corporation IFC and the Maharashtra state government with the approval of the Central Government of India has been established to facilitate financial aid for various developmental projects undertaken by local governing bodies Under this framework IFC is assisting select municipal corporations across the state in obtaining funding with Thane being one of the beneficiariesA preliminary meeting was held on Wednesday at the Thane Municipal Corporations Urban Research Centre under the chairmanship of Commissioner Saurabh Rao Representatives from IFC City Engineer Prashant Sonagra Chief Accounts and Finance Officer Dilip Suryavanshi Deputy City Engineers Vikas Dhole Vinod Pawar and Gunwant Zambre as well as Chief Environmental Officer Manisha Pradhan were present Additionally representatives from the Maharashtra Governmentrsquos MITRA Municipal Infrastructure and Technology for Resilient and Agile Cities initiative participated in the meeting virtuallyThe TMC has committed itself to water recycling initiatives and has developed anaction planin collaboration with CEEW Council on Energy Environment and Water In the first phase the municipal body aims to establish a 100 MLD million litres per day advanced water purification plant to convert sewage water into highpurity reusable water This pilot project is estimated to cost around 500 croreDiscussions are currently underway to determine funding sources repayment mechanisms potential buyers of the treated water and pricing structures The International Finance Corporation IFC has agreed to conduct a detailed assessment of the proposal and suggest various funding alternatives as confirmed by Commissioner Saurabh RaoIn addition to the water recycling project Commissioner Rao has directed officials to assess possible financial support from the central government or international finance institutions for various other essential infrastructure projects includingWater supply schemesInstallation of new water pipelinesExpansion of the sewage networkSolid waste management facilitiesConservation and rejuvenation of city lakesThe city engineers have been instructed to compile detailed project reports for these initiatives and submit them for further evaluationUnder the Government of Indiarsquos various urban development schemes financial aid is provided to local governing bodies for infrastructural and developmental projects Additionally the recently announced lsquoUrban Challenge Fundrsquo in the Union Budget presents further funding opportunities for municipal projects IFC will assess which of TMCrsquos proposed projects could qualify for financial support under this initiative Commissioner Rao stated