12 Kolkata: The twin water augmentation projects at Dhapa and Garia Dhalai Bridge have taken a step ahead with KMC sanctioning funds for the procurement of water pipes for areas off EM Bypass and parts of south Kolkata. A proposal for laying water pipes along Bypass from Dhapa to Garia station was passed in the mayor-in-council meeting on Friday.According to a KMC water supply department official, over a million residents of the Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt and EM Bypass will have access to safe drinking water in the next 18 months, courtesy the Rs 700-crore project. The amount will be spent on the construction of two water treatment plants and multiple capsule booster pumping stations, along with the laying of water pipes.According to the official, the department has decided to spend Rs 100 crore to augment the capacity of Jaihind Jalprakalpa, better known as the Dhapa water treatment plant. The present capacity of the plant is 30 million gallons. "After the plant started functioning in 2015, we decided to augment the capacity by 20 million gallons to bring more neighbourhoods off EM Bypass and some areas in the Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt under its coverage," said a KMC water supply department official.Similarly, the civic body has taken up the construction of a water treatment plant near Dhalai Bridge in the Garia station area to cater to the growing water supply needs of residents of Garia, Patuli, Baghajatin, Ramgarh and parts of Jadavpur. Raw water will be drawn from the Hooghly in the Kidderpore area and transported to the plant through the pipeline along Tolly's Nullah. The plant will be operational in two years.Moreover, KMC will set up 15 capsule booster pumping stations in the next two years to send water to far-off places with uniform pressure. "We have already constructed 32 such stations in the Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt. We need to set up 15 more to boost our infrastructure," said mayor Firhad Hakim.