ABB helps Shimla get uninterrupted water supply

After Shimla experienced an acute water crisis as its population increased, the Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti Vibhag (formerly known as IPHD) has developed a plan to modernise the existing lift water supply plan with construction and upgrading of old pumps to raise water from the Kol Dam on the Satluj River thousands of feet below the city with the help of ABB softstarters. The aim was to bring safe, clean drinking water to the population with minimal water loss and minimal environmental damage.

While demand has grown every year, the aged water infrastructure was losing 20-25% of the total water supply to leakage. Aggravating the problem, no major body of water was available in the vicinity of the main city, and the area?s steeply sloping landscape allowed rainwater to run off quickly.

ABB softstarters installed sizable water supply systems to solve problems with water hammering by which the IPHD now estimates that, with reduced mechanical wear and 30 percent fewer service calls, PSTX Softstarters can cut pipeline damage by up to 50 percent during starting and stopping operations, leading to overall cost savings.

ABB is a global technology company that connects software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio.

Written from a company news release.