Two Drainage Schemes Worth Rs 994 Lakh in Pipeline
Dhar Muneeb
Srinagar, Sep 25 : Sopore town in north Kashmir is set to get a major drainage and sewage infrastructure push, with the Jammu and Kashmir government informing the Assembly that two flagship schemes worth Rs 994 lakhs are at various stages of execution to end the direct discharge of untreated waste into the Jhelum River.
Replying to an unstarred question by MLA Sopore Irshad Rasool Kar on drainage and sewage infrastructure, the Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UD) as per The Web Story/The Varmul Post said the ongoing “Drainage Scheme (DS) Sopore”, sanctioned at Rs 497.00 lakh, has already achieved approximately 80 per cent physical progress.
In addition, a new “Drainage Scheme MC Sopore”, also amounting to Rs 497.00 lakh, has been approved for the current financial year 2026-27, the government said.
The reply comes amid persistent concerns over untreated sewage flowing into the Jhelum, with the government conceding that a large number of drains in the region currently discharge directly into the river.
To address this, several Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been planned across the Valley, with Sopore figuring prominently in the long-term blueprint. A 9.5 MLD STP for Sopore, however, will be taken up only in Phase-II, according to the reply.
Detailing the wider STP rollout, the government said DPRs are ready for 3.5 MLD and 2.0 MLD plants at Bijbehara and Awantipora respectively. For Pampore, a 3.5 MLD STP along with a 15 KLD FSTP is proposed, with allotment under process.
While DPRs for 2.5 MLD plants at Sumbal and Hajin are under consideration, a 6 MLD plant at Baramulla is under technical evaluation. A 35 MLD STP for Srinagar is presently before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The government further stated that STPs in Ganderbal (4.5 MLD), Bandipora (6.0 MLD) and Watergam (1.5 MLD) are targeted for completion by October 2027, as are a 2.5 MLD plant in Budgam and a 15 KLD FSTP in Shopian.
On Wular Lake, the government clarified that there are no identified drains emanating directly from habitations and discharging into the lake as direct outfalls.
