STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A severe water crisis has gripped Guwahati, with thousands of residents facing scarcity due to a disruption in the water supply from the JICA-assisted South Central Guwahati water supply project since August 29. The technical issues glitches affected around 23,000 households, leaving many localities high and dry and residents struggling for basic necessities.
The Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water and Sewage Board (GMDW&SB) said, "The disruption to critical interconnection work on the main transmission pipeline, which was carried out to facilitate the commissioning of seven new district metered areas (DMAs) under the water supply project. The new DMAs will cover areas such as Kharghuli, Chitrachal Path, Nabagraha Hills, and 17 others, adding 15,000 new households to the project. To facilitate this expansion, critical interconnection work on the main transmission pipeline has been carried out. However, this has temporarily disrupted water supply in all the DMAs under the Ramsahill, Amiya Nagar, and Leechubagan reservoirs."
"Although the interruption was scheduled from August 29 to 31, it extended up to September 3, causing inconvenience to residents. Many have been forced to buy water at high prices from private suppliers, while others have complained about the inability to connect with Jal Board officers to know when the supply will resume," the officials said.
However, there is some respite for the affected residents. Partial restoration of water supply began on Monday in some areas, with 50% of the areas covered under the project receiving water. The GMDW&SB has assured that supply is expected to resume in the remaining areas from Tuesday once the technical issue involving an old valve is resolved.
Also read: Water Woes Continue in Guwahati City, Irk Residents (sentinelassam.com)
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