GUWAHATI: Guwahati Residents tend to get tap water that can be drunk from July next year because only about 25% of the construction of water projects are now allowed to finish.
Four water supply project is being built in the city to sort out the crisis of drinking water that are decades old.
Southeast Guwahati Project construction began in 2016, South West Guwahati in 2009, the South Central Guwahati in 2011 and North Guwahati project in 2011.
Rupjyoti Talukdar, executive engineer responsible for the Project Implementation Unit of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said “Project water supply Guwahati South-West has been commissioned partly commissioned in November last year.
Project water supply Guwahati South-Central, which is the largest, will be commissioned by July next year because only about 25% of the work is left over.” Speaking about the delay in completing the project, Talukdar, executive engineer Metropolitan Guwahati and Assam’s Department of Public Works and Construction Laying Pipe culvert is the reason for the initial delays.
“Acknowledging the delay in the construction of South Center Project, he added that the project was shifted from the first location because of some problem.” A large stone was found while digging at the current location.
So, it may take longer, “he added.
It may be mentioned that the Ministry of External Affairs S Jaishankar along with the Ambassador of Japan Satoshi Suzuki in February to take stock of the progress of the work of the Project Water Supply South Central funded JICA.
JICA also fund projects Guwahati North as well.
Cost JICA-funded project is Rs 1,426 crore.
While the Jawaharlal Nehru National Renewal Mission (Jnnnurm) funded project South West, Bank Development Bank (ADB) funded project Guwahati Asia.
Currently, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), the Department of Public Health Engineering ( PHE) and board drinking water Metropolitan GUWAHATI (GMDW & SB) supplying more than 31 MLD water to the city of three water treatment plants in Satpukhuri (commissioned in 1930), Panbazar (commissioned in 1963) and Kamakhya (commissioned in 1992).
A Guwahati Jal Board officials said only about 30% of the nearly 3 lakh city households now have access to water k eran.
Most of the town had to rely on private water suppliers, tubewell, handpump or other sources of water.