Guwahati, 09 July (HS): The Assam government has set a target to complete the long-delayed JICA-funded drinking water supply projects in Guwahati by December this year, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Roy informed the Assam Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

Replying to a question by MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed during the Budget Session, the minister said the South-Central Guwahati Water Supply Project is 96.75% complete, while the North Guwahati Water Supply Project has achieved 95.75% progress. Both projects, launched in March 2012, were originally scheduled for completion within 36 months and 28 months, respectively.

Roy said the two JICA-funded projects involve a total investment of ₹1,450.87 crore, including ₹1,425.93 crore as a JICA loan and ₹24.95 crore from the State-Owned Priority Development (SOPD) fund. The JICA loan was fully utilised by December 2024, and the remaining works are expected to be completed by December 2026.

The South-Central project is currently supplying drinking water to 83,569 households, while the North Guwahati project is expected to benefit around 15,000 households once fully operational.

The Assembly was also informed that the South-West Guwahati Water Supply Project, launched in October 2023 under the Guwahati Jal Board, has achieved 72% physical progress and is targeted for completion by mid-2027. The project has an estimated cost of ₹324.35 crore.

Meanwhile, 17% of the first phase of the South-East Guwahati Water Supply Project has been completed. The remaining works resumed in March 2026 with financial assistance from the New Development Bank (NDB) and are expected to be completed by May 2029. The project is estimated to cost ₹192.46 crore.

The minister further stated that ₹75.39 crore has been spent on the Zoo Road Water Supply Scheme since it was handed over to the Guwahati Jal Board in 2015. The scheme currently provides drinking water to nearly 900 households.

Apart from the Jal Board projects, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) operates water supply schemes at Panbazar, Satpukhuri and Kamakhya. Around ₹3.52 crore was spent on these schemes during the last financial year, benefiting approximately 21,000 consumers.

Roy said surveys indicate that Guwahati requires around 2.21 lakh household water connections in the future, including 1.10 lakh in South-Central Guwahati, 15,000 in North Guwahati, 30,000 in South-West Guwahati and 66,000 in South-East Guwahati.

The government also informed the House that work on the JICA-supported Guwahati Sewerage Project is progressing, while details of Smart City Mission projects implemented in Guwahati and other urban areas since 2016 have been placed before the Assembly in separate annexures.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash