At long last, JICA-aided project begins water supply in Guwahati

 Minimum installation fee is Rs 9,500

 Water tariff is Rs 22 per 1,000 litres

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Guwahati Jal Board conducted the trial run of the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)-aided Guwahati Water Supply Project today, after almost a decade of the start of the project work.

Guwahati Jal Board launched its website and mobile App today for water connections. Willing consumers will get water supply within 21 days during the trial run if their applications get approval.

Initially, the project will cover only 3,000 households, with installation fees ranging from Rs 9,500 to Rs 12,500 per connection. The consumers will get water for two hours a day at the initial stage. The rates of water tariff slab-wise start from Rs 22 per 1,000 litres, and the proposed allotment of water is 135 litres per individual per day.

Launching the website and the portal today, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal said, "The original target of the Rs 1,427-crore JICA-aided project was 1.35 lakh households. With the population in Guwahati rising, we can extend the target households up to 1.80 lakh."

Singhal said, "The project has 121 district metering areas (DMAs). Of them, we are conducting the trial run in five DMAs. We will cover more DMAs in phases. By September 2023, we will cover all the 121 DMAs. At that time, we will make the duration of water supply 24X7."

The minister also said, "The entire process from new connections to getting supply water will be a faceless exercise. No one needs to go to the office for this. Our dedicated website we opened today is www.gmdwsb.in, and the mobile App is GJB-Guwahati Jal Board. Interested applicants can click either website or the App and fill in the form."

The minister said that the project aimed at covering the population of the metropolitan city for the next forty years.

The five DMAs will cover Amiya Nagar, Rudra Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Holychild area, Milanpur, Bamunimaidam, Chandmari, Rajgarh, and Pub Sarania.

The second phase will cover Narikal Basti, Mother Teresa Road, Nabagraha, Silpukhuri etc.

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