Not getting treated water connection to invite fine in Chandigarh

The Municipal Corporation will now impose a penalty equivalent to 7.5 per cent of the total water bill on eligible properties for not taking tertiary treated water connection.

The civic body has issued draft bylaws called — Chandigarh Water Supply Bylaws Amendment, 2025, — for carrying out the amendment for imposition of such penalty. It has also sough suggestions and objections from the residents on the draft bylaws within 15 days.

In the draft bylaws, the civic body said: “In the Chandigarh Water Supply Bylaws, 2011, as amended from time to time, Clause (d) shall be inserted after clause 13 (ix) (c) as under 7.5 per cent of total water bill may be charged from the kanal house owners whereas TT Water connections have not been taken in spite of its feasibility/availability. As per the Chandigarh Water Supply Bylaws, 2015, the use of TT water is compulsory in all houses/institutions of one-kanal size and above.”

Besides, the MC has also proposed to charge Rs 7 per kl for the use of tertiary treated water for construction purposes, chilling plants, AC cooling units after softening and other industrial purposes such as washing etc. (subject to fulfilment of parameter by the consumer).

Notably, the MC House had in December 2024 passed a resolution to impose a penalty equivalent to 7.5 per cent of the total water bill on properties not taking TT water connection. The draft bylaws have been issued on the line of the decision.

According to civic body officials, there are 7,500 eligible houses with an area of over one kanal, but only 3,350 of these have applied for the connection so far. Likewise, only 157 institutions of the total 420 have opted for the tertiary treated water connection.

In a major push to provide connections of tertiary treated water all over the city, the MC has started work to lay pipelines at the consumer end. Under the project, the water pipeline will be laid at the doorstep of residential houses and other institutions like schools and colleges.

Tertiary treated water is supplied from the civic body’s six sewage treatment plants at 3BRD, Dhanas, Raipur Khurd, Raipur Kalan, Maloya and Diggian. These STPs have been upgraded under the Smart City Mission.

Supply shortfall

The city receives 87 MGD water against the demand of 100 MGD during the summer, resulting in a shortfall of 13 MGD. In such a situation, increasing tertiary treated water connections is the best option to meet the demand.

Of the 7,500 eligible houses on over one kanal area, only 3,350 have applied for the connection. Similarly, only 157 of the total 420 institutions have opted for the tertiary treated water connection.

Chandigarh