Dravyavati River is a rain fed river of Jaipur which finds mention in history since 15th century. Rapid urbanization in the last 3-4 decades coupled with rampant encroachments in the river area and its catchment areas along with the dumping of sewage, industrial waste water and solid waste converted this once pristine flowing river to a Nallah.
In 2016, Tata Projects was entrusted with the responsibility of rejuvenating this river.
The rejuvenation project envisages course correction/strengthening of channel, sewage interception, treatment and dispensing treated water into the river, ground water augmentation, flood mitigation, value addition to social and commercial infrastructure, reduction in pollution, improve quality of life of Jaipur citizens by adding to its aesthetics.
The scope of works for the project is as under:
- Course correction /Strengthening
- Sewerage Interception, Treatment and Disposal (170 MLD of Sewage to be treated)
- Improving Water Quality Standards in the River
- Improving Water Availability in the areas surrounding the River – 80 Check dams to be built
- Master Development Plan along the River
- Develop Open Green Areas where feasible
- Total Length of the river – 47.5 Km
- Total Cost of the Project Rs 1677 Cr.
“Dravyavati River, this project is very close to our heart because the idea came from us. In 2016, the company took on the onus of approaching the Rajasthan chief minister with an unsolicited proposal. The CM liked the idea and floated a Swiss challenge. No other bid was lower than ours or could match the expert knowledge we brought to the plan, and that’s how we won the contract,” says K Satyanarayana (vice-president and head of the company’s newest vertical –the 4-year-old Construction & Environment (C&E) business.
For the river project, Tata Projects has tied up with China-based SUCG for technical expertise. The project has been designed with several layers so as to deliver value to the city of Jaipur in multiple forms – reducing health risks, recharging the ground water table, increasing green cover, creating community spaces, adding beauty to the urban landscape, and so on.
What’s remarkable is that the project will pay for itself over time. “Land value around the river is going up and this will generate more revenue for the state,” points out Satyanarayana. The success of the Dravyavati project has opened up prospects in other cities such as Hyderabad, Pune and Nagpur. “River renewal can be a business by itself,” says Satyanarayana.
@EPC World Media
