Not a single of Guwahati city's 4 drinking water supply schemes is ready

 ADB stops funding South East Guwahati Water Supply Project

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: More than 10 years after their commencement, not a single of the four ambitious schemes to provide round-the-clock drinking water supply to residents of Guwahati is ready for complete commissioning. Besides various hurdles, the lack of political will by the previous regimes in Delhi and Dispur is one of the prime reasons for such a development.

Way back in 2009, the then Congress Government in Dispur initiated four 24X7 drinking water supply schemes for the city residents. These are the 'South West Guwahati Water Supply Project' funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the 'South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project' and the 'North Guwahati Water Supply Project'— both funded by the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) and the 'South East Guwahati Water Supply Project' funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Over a decade after complete commissioning of none of the water supply schemes is possible. While the city residents saw partial commissioning of the JNNURM-funded 'South West Guwahati Water Supply Project' in 2020, similar development will be witnessed in the case of the JICA-funded 'South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project' within August this year.

"Since there are still several issues and hurdles associated with 100% completion of the JNNURM-funded South West Guwahati Water Supply Project and JICA-funded South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project we are going for partial commissioning of the projects in a phased manner. Residents of only certain parts and areas will receive adequate piped drinking water due to such partial commissioning," an official at Guwahati Jal Board (GJB) told The Sentinel.

According to the official, the first phase of commissioning of JNNURM-funded South West Guwahati Water Supply Project has been able to provide drinking water to residents from Bhutnath to Maligaon Charilai along the right side of A.T. Road (along the foothills of Kamakhya) including Kalipur, Maligaon Chariali proper, Kamakhya Colony, entire Pandu area, Boripara, Pandav Nagar, Kamakhya Nagar, Ananda Nagar, Sankar Nagar, Joymoti Nagar, Adabari area etc.

The first phase of commissioning of JICA-funded South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project within August this year will supply drinking water to parts of Pan Bazar, Uzan Bazar, all bye-lanes along Rajgarh Road, Pub Sarania, Bhaskar Nagar and Zoo-Narengi Road.

The JNNURM-funded 'South Guwahati West Water Supply Project' is being executed by Gammon India Limited. The proposed capacity of this project is 107 MLD (millions of litres per day). This project is being carried out under the supervision of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). It started way back in March 2009. It was supposed to be commissioned in 2013. The dates for commissioning the project had been changed several times. Nevertheless, the deadlines were always missed. The missed extended re-commissioning deadlines were in 2016, 2017, 2018, and also in 2019. Finally, only partial commissioning was done in 2020.

When asked about the percentage of work being completed, the GMDA sources referred to the water treatment plant (95%); and laying of underground pipes (90%). While two of the eight reservoirs have been completed; less than 10% of the remaining six reservoirs and two of the three intake points (water sources) are to be completed.

The JICA-funded Guwahati South-Central Water Supply Project with a proposed capacity of 191 MLD was started in 2011. The commissioning year was 2017. On work completed, sources at GJB referred to the work of underground laying of pipes (80% work); intake point and water treatment plant (73%). On the other hand, four of the eight reservoirs are yet to be completed.

The JICA-funded North Guwahati Zone Water Supply Project with a proposed capacity of 37 MLD, sources informed that 60% of work has been completed. It was started in 2011.

The ADB-funded South East Guwahati Water Supply Project was started in August 2016. Its proposed capacity is 98 MLD. However, the fate of the project is hanging in balance as the ADB has stopped further funding of the scheme due to slow progress of execution. Only 45% of the underground pipe-laying work and construction of three water reservoirs has been done. Nothing has progressed concerning the other areas of the project. The project is being managed by the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the 'Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment Programme'.

"Even though the Central Government has approached the Shanghai-based New Development Bank for fresh funding of the South East Guwahati Water Supply Project, the international bank is yet to respond to Delhi's response. Under such a circumstance fate of this water supply scheme is completely uncertain," the source said.

Guwahati and rejoiced when the four ambitious drinking water supply schemes were sanctioned in 2009. After years of initiation, representatives of the government departments concerned refuse to go on record to mention the exact date when city residents will get round-the-clock running water at their homes. The officials say the strong political will is the only way to execute and complete the water supply schemes in future. Till then residents will have to struggle hard for every drop of water to drink even as the mighty Brahmaputra is passing through their city.

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