Assam: JNNURM project unlikely to supply water before 2029

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Although the state and central governments have been advertising round-the-clock drinking water connections in every household, a large part of the capital city is still beyond the reach of these schemes, and residents of some key localities of the city are unlikely to receive water in the next five years because of the lack of funding to complete the projects. 

Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a project was undertaken to provide drinking water to residents across the city in 2006–2007. Under this project, the city was divided into four parts. With the Asian Development Bank agreeing to fund Rs 854 crore for this project, work on the same was initiated. One of these four zones is the South East Guwahati area, which includes several important parts of the city like Basistha, Beltola, Panzabari, Six Mile, Khanapara, Bhetapara, Dispur, Noonmati, Narengi, Gopal Nagar, Satgaon, etc. 

The project started with an initial funding of Rs 300 crore from the Asian Development Bank in 2013. However, after finding irregularities in the work during an inspection, they stopped any future funding for the project from 2017–18. And that led to the stagnation of the water supply projects in the city. Out of the six projected water reservoirs in the city, only three at Gopal Nagar, Bamunimaidam, and Narengi were completed, while those at Nabajyoti, Khanapara, and Basistha are yet to be constructed. Although the administration has already allocated land for the necessary infrastructure, the government currently lacks the necessary funds to complete it. 

A water shortage among residents across more than 13 wards of the Guwahati Municipality Corporation can be solved once this problem is resolved. Organisations like the Brihattar Six Mile Panjabaro Nagarik Santha and the Sibanath Gogoi Ancahlik Unnaian Committee have approached the state government as well as the department concerned to inform them regarding the matter and demand that the water supply project be completed as soon as possible and ensure that all citizens get clean water. They also mentioned that although GMC continues to collect taxes, including charges for water and maintenance of street lights, and although GMC taxes have seen a hike recently, the urban local body has not been able to take any steps towards supplying water to localities that face a shortage. These organisations were turned back by the authorities, citing that an additional Rs 300 crore was needed to meet the demands.   It was, however, mentioned that the New Development Bank was willing to fund the remainder of the project, subject to the central government becoming a guarantor for the loan. But with the Central Government being less than willing to resolve this problem, the project remains in limbo, and the citizens continue to suffer as, despite paying heavy taxes to GMC, they have to buy their water from third parties. 

The latest affidavit filed by the authorities mentioned that water will be available only by April 2029 in these areas, subject to the availability of funding immediately.  A now-retired central government employee residing in the Six Mile locality mentioned that previously most of the citizens were dependent on hand pumps and wells. So even in the worst dry spells, water was always available to some extent. But in the current situation, with the use of very deep boring systems, the groundwater is being dissipated very quickly, causing trouble for all residents as well as creating risks for future generations. He also asked the government to halt the construction of a flyover or two and proceed with the water supply project.

 Also Read: Water prices continue to increase in Guwahati city as crisis deepens (sentinelassam.com)

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