AGARTALA, January 10 (TIWN): The entire 53-year-old water supply system through existing pipelines in Tripura capital Agartala would be overhauled under a project sanctioned by the Asian Development Bank."The ADB has recently sanctioned the Rs 50 crore projects to replace the 408-km water supply pipelines, commissioned in 1960”, said Ashutosh Jindal (Secretary Tripura Urban Development).Talking to the reporters here at the secretariat Jindal said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted project would replace the water supply lines in the eastern, southern and middle zones of Agartala through a trenchless technology the so called trenchless pipe laying, while the works in the northern zone would be done under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The ADB-assisted North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme will be implemented in Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland) and Gangtok (Sikkim) besides Agartala.

The 142-year-old Agartala Municipal Council, which will implement the ADB project, is in the process of becoming a corporation.

With a population of little over four lakhs, capital Agartala was founded in 1838 by then king Maharaja Krishna Kishore Manikya (1830-49). Tripura was a princely state until its accession to India in October 1949.

On the sideline of another issue of the drinking water supply project plan by the Tripura government he said that in all 22 deep tube wells will be set up, out of which work for 21 wells has already been completed with one in a halt. Adding to that he said that the state govt. within January 31 the work is likely to get completed.

However later he said that once the trenchless technology is brought here in Agartala for laying modernized pipeline in regard of supplying water than this must be one of the unique design in India. And the pipes will be sustainable for at least 30 to 40 years, said Jindal.

It is mentionable here that trenchless technology allows for the installation or renewal of underground utility systems with minimum disruption of the surface. As water and wastewater systems age or must be redesigned in order to comply with environmental regulations, the demand for this technology has dramatically increased. This is a detailed reference covering construction details, design guidelines, environmental concerns, and the latest advances in equipment, methods, and materials.