The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Sunday said that the fifth 100 MLD water filtration unit at the Chandu Budhera water treatment plant will become operational by July 15, pushing back the latest deadline announced for the project that is expected to increase the authority’s water treatment capacity from 670 MLD to 770 MLD.Electricity infrastructure work is underway at the new unit, which has seen multiple deadline revisions since 2025. (HT Archive)Officials said work related to the electricity infrastructure at the new unit is currently underway and is expected to be completed shortly.“The fifth unit of 100 MLD capacity at Chandu Budhera will become operational from July 15, and it will increase the treatment capacity to 770 MLD. Currently the electricity wing is carrying out work at this unit, and we expect the work to be completed soon. The additional capacity will help the authority to meet future needs of water in the city,” said Abhinav Verma, executive engineer, GMDA.The fifth unit at Chandu Budhera has witnessed multiple revisions to its commissioning schedule. GMDA had earlier stated that the facility would become operational by March 2025, later revised the deadline to January 2026, then May 2026, followed by June 2026. The latest target date is July 15, 2026.Once operational, the unit will raise GMDA’s overall water treatment capacity at its Chandu Budhera and Basai plants from 670 MLD to 770 MLD. At present, the authority operates four filtration units of 100 MLD capacity each at Chandu Budhera and three units of 90 MLD capacity each at Basai.GMDA is also planning further expansion at Basai. Verma said the authority has floated a tender for installation of a fourth 100 MLD filtration unit at the Basai water treatment plant.“The financial bids for this tender have been opened, and the work will be awarded soon,” he said.According to GMDA officials, Gurugram’s current water demand is around 800 MLD, while the authority supplies approximately 670 MLD. The remaining requirement is met through water tankers and borewell supply arranged by different agencies and developers.Officials said the city’s drinking water demand is projected to rise to around 1,170 MLD by 2031. To bridge the gap, GMDA plans to increase treatment and supply capacity in phases.“We plan to construct more filtration units and tanks for treating water to ensure that the capacity is increased to 1170 MLD in 2029 itself,” said Verma.Apart from augmenting treatment capacity, GMDA said it is expanding the water supply network in new sectors. Officials said works in sectors 58 to 74 and 75 to 80 are expected to be completed by the end of June.“The water pipeline from Chandu Budhera to the Sector 72 water boosting station is being tested, and it will be made functional soon. From sector 72 water boosting station, supply will be carried out in sectors, which were not covered by the authority earlier,” said Verma.