Aims to solve drinking water problems of Patiala city Patiala: The Punjab Government will use a major portion of “excess” water flowing from Punjab to Haryana through Khanauri Headworks to ensure proper drinking water supply in Patiala. A project of water treatment plant would be forwarded to the state government for a final approval. Cabinet Minister and Chairman of the District Planning Committee Surjit Singh Rakhra cleared a project of Rs 176 crore for a canal-based water treatment plant. The plant will be set up in two phases. It would solve the problem of scarcity of drinking water in the city. Patiala XEN Water and Sewage Board, B L Ranga, said the project would be completed in association with the irrigation department. “Once we get the water supply inside Rajindra Lake, our focus would be to treat it and make it fit for human consumption,” Ranga added. The first phase of the project would be completed in a year’s time. It would solve the problem of drinking water in the old city. The district would use the five acre land inside the Rajindra Lake to set up the treatment plant. “We will further spend Rs 1 crore for the development of the lake as a tourist place,” said Rakhra. “We will draw water from the Bhakra main Line that originates from Nangal Dam and passes through the boundaries of the city. We will also install underground pipelines to transfer water into the Rajindra Lake”, he stated. A total of 30 acres of land, at cost of Rs 135 crore, would be allotted in Jassowal village for the second phase of the project. After completion, the project would supply clean drinking water to the city population for the next over 30 years. It would also ensure optimum utilisation of the water supply. Earlier majority of this water flowed to Khanauri and passed on to Haryana while some of it was diverted to Talwandi Sabo via Sangrur. For the project, the government will use Punjab’s share of 5 cusecs. The population of Patiala has been hit hard by severe scarcity of drinking water for several months now. “The project is aimed to end all such problems by the end of next year,” said Patiala Mayor Jaspal Singh Pardhan.