316 Punjab villages to get treated canal water as CM Mann inaugurates Rs 432 crore plants in Patiala
Two treatment facilities at Mandoli and Pabri to serve nearly 4.5 lakh people; project aims to reduce dependence on contaminated groundwater
Babushahi Bureau
Patiala (Punjab), November 2, 2026: Nearly 4.5 lakh people in 316 villages across Patiala and adjoining areas are set to receive treated canal water following the inauguration of two water treatment plants by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann at Mandoli village in Ghanaur constituency on Monday.
The two plants, constructed at a stated cost of ₹432.65 crore, form part of a bulk surface water supply project intended to address drinking water quality concerns in villages where groundwater has been found to contain excessive levels of fluoride and other contaminants.
The project covers five Assembly constituencies — Ghanaur, Rajpura, Sanour, Patiala Rural and Shambu Kalan — and is expected to serve approximately 75,000 households through a 752-kilometre transmission pipeline network.
The Mandoli facility has been constructed at a cost of ₹266.20 crore, while the Pabri plant accounts for ₹166.46 crore.
Addressing the gathering, Mann said the shift to canal-based water supply was necessary because of groundwater contamination in parts of Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. He said the project would reduce dependence on groundwater and provide an alternative source of drinking water to the affected villages.
He also criticised successive governments for not addressing the drinking water requirements of these areas earlier, saying residents should not have had to wait decades for access to safe drinking water.
According to the project details released by the government, the distribution infrastructure includes 752 kilometres of ductile iron transmission pipelines and the upgrading of another 1,216 kilometres of existing pipelines. Water will be supplied through storage infrastructure in the beneficiary villages.
The plants are equipped with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for monitoring treatment operations and water storage. Laboratories have also been established to test water quality before and after treatment, with reports sent periodically to the State-Level Water Testing Laboratory.
The company executing the project has been assigned responsibility for its operation and maintenance for 10 years. Water Supply and Sanitation Committees have been constituted in the beneficiary villages to monitor the arrangements.
Groundwater contamination and extraction
The project addresses concerns over groundwater quality, including the presence of fluoride, aluminium, lead, sulphate, arsenic and uranium beyond permissible limits in the identified areas, according to the government.
The state’s groundwater situation also presents a significant challenge. Figures cited in the project material put Punjab’s groundwater extraction at 156.36 per cent of its annual recharge capacity.
In Patiala district, annual groundwater recharge has been estimated at 1.01 billion cubic metres, against extraction of 1.89 billion cubic metres. The government puts the district’s groundwater extraction level at approximately 208 per cent of its extractable resource.
The surface water project is intended to reduce pressure on these underground reserves by shifting drinking water supply towards treated canal water.
Urban water projects planned for four cities
Mann said work was also underway on surface-water-based drinking water projects in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala.
The proposed infrastructure is intended to serve a combined urban population of approximately 78 lakh. According to the government, the projects have a planned treatment capacity of 1,410 million litres per day and involve more than 500 kilometres of rising mains and distribution pipelines.
The infrastructure also includes 224 overhead service reservoirs, underground reservoirs and pumping stations. However, the projects have encountered implementation challenges involving land acquisition, clearances and labour availability.
Punjab’s sewage treatment capacity
The government also provided an update on sewage treatment infrastructure in the state. Punjab currently has 152 operational Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), with a combined capacity of 2,243.7 million litres per day across 23 districts.
The capacity is projected to increase to approximately 2,676 million litres per day by December 2027 through the addition of around 58 plants. The proposed expansion includes two 50-million-litre-per-day facilities at Amritsar and Zirakpur.
Separately, 114.24 kilometres of desilting work has been reported across urban local bodies in Patiala district.
The effectiveness of the newly commissioned water infrastructure will depend on the consistency of supply, regular water-quality testing and maintenance of the distribution network.