Guwahati's long-delayed water supply projects to be completed by December 2026, Assam Assembly told

The Assam government on July 9 informed the State Assembly that the long-pending Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted drinking water supply projects in Guwahati, launched in 2012, remain incomplete but are now targeted for completion by December 2026.

Replying to an unstarred question by MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai said the South-Central Guwahati Water Supply Project has achieved 96.75 per cent physical progress, while the North Guwahati Water Supply Project stands at 95.75 per cent completion. Both projects were originally scheduled to be completed within 36 months and 28 months, respectively, after work commenced in March 2012.

The minister informed the House that the two JICA-funded projects have together incurred an expenditure of Rs 1,450.87 crore, including Rs 1,425.93 crore through JICA loans and Rs 24.95 crore under the State-Owned Priority Development (SOPD) fund. The JICA loan component was fully utilised by December 2024, with the remaining works expected to be completed by December 2026.

According to the government, the South-Central project is currently supplying drinking water to 83,569 households, while the North Guwahati project is expected to benefit around 15,000 households once fully commissioned.

The Assembly was also informed that the South-West Guwahati Water Supply Project, initiated under the Guwahati Jal Board in October 2023, has reached 72 per cent completion and is scheduled to be completed by mid-2027. The project has an estimated cost of Rs 324.35 crore.

Meanwhile, the South-East Guwahati Water Supply Project has achieved 17 per cent progress under Phase I. While the ADB-supported first phase concluded in September 2021, the remaining work resumed in March 2026 with financial assistance from the New Development Bank (NDB) and is targeted for completion by May 2029. The project is estimated to cost Rs 192.46 crore.

Rai further informed the House that the Zoo Road Water Supply Scheme, commissioned in 1996, has incurred an expenditure of Rs 75.39 crore since its transfer to the Guwahati Jal Board in 2015 and currently supplies drinking water to around 900 households.

Apart from the Jal Board projects, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) operates water supply schemes at Panbazar, Satpukhuri and Kamakhya. Around Rs 3.52 crore was spent on these schemes during the previous financial year, benefiting approximately 21,000 consumers.

On future requirements, the minister said surveys estimate that Guwahati requires water connections for nearly 2.21 lakh households, including 1.10 lakh in South-Central Guwahati, 15,000 in North Guwahati, 30,000 in South-West Guwahati and 66,000 in South-East Guwahati.

The government also informed the Assembly that, besides the JICA-assisted drinking water projects, work on the JICA-supported Guwahati Sewerage Project is also underway, while details of Smart City Mission projects implemented across Guwahati and other urban centres since 2016 have been placed before the House in separate annexures.