Twelve Years After Gangajal Project, Agra Still Waits for Clean Drinking Water.
The state water supply is so polluted that not a single household in the city can use it for drinking.
“The total water demand of the city is approximately 500 million litres per day (MLD) and the current water supply is 285 MLD supplied from Sikandra water works (120 MLD) and Jeevani Mandi water works (165 MLD).
Water supplied to Agra is not adequate but after the completion of Gangajal project the supply-demand gap will end,” Chandan Singh, general manager, Agra Jal Sansthan told The Wire.
The cost of this was estimated at Rs 355.68 crore, and the government signed an agreement with Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) on December 2, 2005 for this.
In last 12 years, the cost of the project has shot up to Rs 2887.92 crore, and there is still no visible work on the ground.
The pipeline length has changed from 70 km to 13o km.
Current water quality in Agra The UP government has not bothered to take note of the infamous pollution levels of the Yamuna.
One of the sewage treatment plants at Agra’s prominent water works, Jeevani Mandi, is in a deplorable state, while others are outdated.
Saxena however said, “Water in Chambal is not enough to meet Agra’s demand even if it is close.

UPPCB, Cantonment Board to pay EC for pollution in Mathura:NGT.
New Delhi, Apr 14 The UP pollution control board (UPPCB) and Mathura Cantonment Board have been directed by the National Green Tribunal to pay Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively for causing pollution in the temple town.
"The problem of MSW is not confined to Mathura Cantonment Board or Mathura city but it is a national problem.
It requires collective, progressive and effective steps to be taken before the MSW is managed and disposed of in accordance with the law in force," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
"We have no hesitation in holding that the UPPCB as well as the Mathura Cantonment Board have miserably failed to protect the environment and discharge their statutory and public law obligation in accordance with the law in force.
"Thus, we direct that UPPCB shall pay Rs 5 lakh as EC while Cantonment Board shall pay Rs 10 lakh for causing continuous air, water, ground water pollution…
They have also failed to seek permission for the use of trenching ground under the law in force and operating it without the consent of the Board or without any authorisation and in complete violation and disregard of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016," the NGT said.
It also directed both the authorities to pay the compensation to the Central Pollution Control Board within two weeks and asked the Board to submit application for consent to operate and for authorisation within two weeks to the UPPCB.
"Mathura Cantonment Board, within a period of three months would complete the construction of the wall between the river and the trenching site in question to ensure that under no circumstances the MSW should be permitted to enter directly or indirectly into the flood plain or in Yamuna.
"UPPCB shall issue complete and comprehensive directions in relation to collection, transportation, segregation and dumping of waste at the site in question in accordance with the SMW Rules of 2016, within a period of four weeks.