The fifth water-treatment unit at the Chandu Budhera Water Treatment Plant has entered the pre-commissioning stage, bringing Gurugram closer to adding another 100 million litres per day of potable-water treatment capacity.
Pumps, electrical systems and other treatment equipment are being tested and calibrated before the commencement of trial operations. Current schedules indicate that the trial phase is expected to begin in early August 2026. One published account indicates that testing may continue for approximately three months before the unit is formally placed into regular service.
Once successfully commissioned, the new unit will increase Chandu Budhera’s installed treatment capacity from 400 MLD to 500 MLD. Together with Basai’s existing 270 MLD capacity, Gurugram’s overall municipal water-treatment capacity would rise from approximately 670 MLD to 770 MLD.
The approximately ₹52.5-crore project began in March 2024. The fifth unit was planned primarily to strengthen water availability in the rapidly developing sectors from 81 to 115, including areas linked to the Southern Peripheral Road and other emerging residential corridors.
Published reports indicate that commissioning was postponed while the required electricity connection and associated electrical equipment were being completed. With the connection reportedly in place, the present work is focused on machinery testing, fault identification and operational checks. This information remains based on statements attributed to GMDA officials in published reports.
Trial operation is an important stage because the plant must demonstrate that treatment units, pumps, chlorination systems, instrumentation and electrical equipment can operate reliably while consistently producing water of the required quality.
The additional 100 MLD should therefore be treated as potential operational capacity until the trial process is completed and the unit is formally commissioned.
Increasing treatment capacity does not automatically guarantee that the additional water will reach every intended service area. Adequate transmission pipelines, boosting stations, underground reservoirs and local distribution networks are also required.
GMDA has separately tested an approximately 18-kilometre pipeline connecting Chandu Budhera with the Sector 72 boosting station. The pipeline is intended to improve water conveyance to developing sectors along the Southern Peripheral Road, which have previously experienced supply constraints during periods of high demand.
The operational impact of the fifth treatment unit will consequently depend on coordination between:
Raw-water availability
Treatment-plant performance
Clear-water storage
Transmission-pipeline capacity
Boosting-station readiness
Local distribution networks
Demand management within individual sectors
Without sufficient downstream capacity, additional treated water may not be distributed evenly across the service area.
GMDA is also progressing another proposed 100 MLD automated water-treatment unit at Chandu Budhera under Phase VI. The official tender scope includes a treatment plant, clear-water reservoir, raw- and clear-water pumping systems, sludge dewatering, chlorination, transformers, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and associated civil and electromechanical works.
This additional unit remains at the procurement stage and should not be included in the city’s current operational treatment capacity.If completed, it would raise Chandu Budhera’s installed capacity further, but its commissioning schedule will depend on tender finalisation, construction, testing and statutory requirements.
A separate ₹149-crore expansion has been approved at the Basai water-treatment complex.
The project includes an additional 100 MLD treatment unit, two sedimentation-cum-storage tanks with a combined storage capacity of approximately 600 million litres, a raw-water pipeline, pumping infrastructure and automated monitoring systems. Construction is expected to require approximately 30 months after procedural requirements and the work order are completed.
Once operational, the expansion would increase Basai’s treatment capacity from approximately 270 MLD to 370 MLD.
The additional storage could also improve operational flexibility during canal closures, maintenance periods, sudden demand increases or temporary interruptions in raw-water supply.
Gurugram’s growing population and continued development are expected to place considerable pressure on its water infrastructure.
Recent reporting based on GMDA information places the city’s projected drinking-water demand at approximately 1,170 MLD by 2031. A broader planning estimate cited separately places total water requirement at approximately 1,675 MLD, including demand that may be met through treated wastewater for horticulture, construction, industry and other non-potable uses.
These figures measure different categories of demand and should not be treated as directly interchangeable.
The higher estimate reinforces the importance of separating potable and non-potable requirements. Supplying treated wastewater for landscaping, cooling, construction and industrial processes can reduce unnecessary demand for drinking-quality canal water.
Long-term water security will therefore require a combination of:
Expanded potable-water treatment
Reliable canal-water conveyance
Increased storage capacity
Improved distribution networks
Reduction of physical water losses
Metering and demand management
Treated-wastewater reuse
Groundwater protection
Water-quality monitoring
The fifth Chandu Budhera unit represents an important addition to Gurugram’s water-treatment infrastructure. Its immediate priority will be completing trial operations and demonstrating reliable treatment performance.
The full benefit will depend on the ability of pipelines, reservoirs and boosting systems to carry the additional water to developing sectors.
Continued investment in treatment capacity must therefore be matched by improvements across the entire water-supply chain—from raw-water intake and storage to transmission, local distribution and non-potable water reuse.