City households to get 24X7 running water from April ’17

The State Government’s dream scheme of providing 24X7 water to the residents of Guwahati is hopeful of being realized by April 2017. The project though looks nowhere near completion so far. However the long wait might be over in April next year. Initiated in 2009 the project has undergone several revised completion dates. While the initial completion date was September 2011, it has been delayed by 5 years already and the new expected date of completion will provide a huge relief to Guwahatians. Water is seen everywhere but none of this water can be consumed. Leading the list of water-scarce settlements is the capital city itself where access to drinking water is a major issue. Scores of people who have regularly paid taxes have been complaining that their supply of piped water has gone down substantially. Even residents of old neighbourhoods such as Uzanbazar, Panbazar, Machkhowa, and Bharalumukh frequently face shortage of piped or any other source of drinking water. Faced with dearth of piped water, or its irregular supply, thousands of the city’s residents have opted for groundwater as the last resort to meet their water needs. This phenomenon has put considerable pressure on the groundwater table, which according to experts and lay people, has gone down massively. The proliferation of multi-storeyed apartment blocks followed by their extraction of groundwater has also contributed to drying up of wells in neighbouring residences. Apart from having to invest in high-cost well-bores, a large section of the people has become dependent on water provided by 3-wheelers tankers which source water from considerable distances away. As a result, the cost of water is much more when compared to piped water. Amidst the scarcity the state government’s project to provide 24X7 supply of water to the residents of the city was welcomed by all.     Overview of the Project   Work to execute the four under-construction water supply projects of the Guwahati metropolitan area is well under way. The four ambitious projects, financed by the Union Government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), are designed to cover a total population of 22,45,343 by 2030 and 33,41,029 by 2040.   According to official sources here, the JNNURM-funded South-West Zone Water Supply Project is estimated to cost around Rs. 537 crores, while the ADB-funded project for the south-eastern part of the Guwahati metropolitan area is estimated to cost around Rs. 600 crores and those of the two JICA-funded projects for the north and south-central parts of the Guwahati metropolitan area are estimated to cost around Rs. 1,400 crores. The JNNURM–funded project is to cover an area of 100.95 sq. km., while the JICA-funded project for the northern part is to cover an area of 27.90 sq. km. The project funded by this agency for the south-central part is to cover around 76 sq. km. The ADB-funded project is to cover an area of around 71 sq. km., sources said.   The progress attained in the execution of the JICA-funded south-central part of the project is such that its water intake point at Kharghuli, with a 12-metre inside diameter jack-well, is already in the process of construction, while its 191 million-litre-per-day capacity water treatment plant is being installed at Kharghuli hillside. Water of this project would be stored in eight reservoirs after treatment and one of these reservoirs will be one of the biggest in the country with a storing capacity of 1.3 crore litres. About 1,000 kms of pipes of various diameters are being laid in different parts of the south-central area of the city and about 20% of progress in this respect has been achieved so far.     Of the ADB-funded project meant for the south-eastern part of the city, around 8% to 9% progress has so far been made. Though the actual physical work of the project is yet to start, its site has been handed over to the executor, sources said.   Sources informed that 93% of the project has been completed and each household is expected to get running water by April, 2017. Nevertheless, the remaining fund has to be released in due time for timely completion of the project. “Fund release has been a major hurdle in implementing the project throughout. There have been hindrances in fund release that led to delays in completion of the project. We have most of the materials but the vendors demand their pay beforehand due to which certain equipments could not be availed. However, most of the project is nearing completion and if the remaining fund is released by the next budget session in October we are positive about delivering water supply to each household by April 2017,” the source added. Revised Time frame Project Passed: 2007 Started: April 2009 Initial completion date: September 2011 Revised completion date: February 2013 Revised completion date: February 2013 Revised completion date: April 2015 Revised completion date: December 2015 Expected completion: April 2017