Assam: 5000 households to get tap water access in Guwahati

Assam's Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Irrigation, Ashok Singhal, announced on Wednesday that preparations have been completed to provide drinking water to 5,000 new families under the Greater Guwahati Water Supply Scheme. The scheme is implemented under the Gauhati Jal Board and is aided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In this phase, a total of 5,024 families in the connecting areas of Ramsa Hill, Gandhibasti, Nehru Stadium, Islampur, Haji Musafirkhana, Ashram Road, Lachit Nagar, ISKCON Temple, Bara Service, Bhangagarh, and Sainik Bhawan in Bhangagarh to Big Bazaar will be provided with the facility of supply of drinking water. Applications will be accepted from March 1, and the public can apply by visiting the Water Board website or by downloading the GJB-Guwahati Jal Board mobile application.

Minister Singhal stated that the JICA project was partially implemented on December 22 last year to supply water to 12,000 families, but only 5,400 of them have applied for drinking water connection so far. He urged people living in the concerned areas to apply for drinking water connection under the government scheme. The minister warned that strict action will be taken against illegal and unlicensed water borewells in these areas.

Singhal also revealed that work on three projects for supply of drinking water in Guwahati city is going on simultaneously. Two other projects are under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Scheme (JNNURM) and Assam Urban Infrastructure Development Programme (AUIIP) along with the JICA-funded Greater Guwahati Water Supply Scheme. The progress of the JICA-funded project is very satisfactory, and Singhal reviews its implementation every seven days. The government is committed to covering the entire city with drinking water supply system in phases, he said.