Guwahati, 20 August (HS): Assam Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai on Thursday visited the North Guwahati and South West Guwahati Water Supply Projects being implemented by the Guwahati Jal Board and reviewed their progress and the challenges affecting their timely completion.

During his visit to the North Guwahati Water Supply Project, Minister Rai was informed that the project is nearing commissioning. Managing Director of the Guwahati Jal Board, Rohan Kumar Jha, said flushing and trial runs of three of the five District Metered Areas (DMAs) have been completed. The remaining two DMAs will be taken up after the necessary clearance from IIT Guwahati regarding slope protection and safety measures at the foothill of the distribution reservoir.

The 37 MLD project is designed to provide water supply to around 15,000 households through a distribution network of approximately 122 km across five DMAs. The 37 MLD Water Treatment Plant and 10.9 ML distribution reservoir are ready for commissioning, subject to completion of the required slope protection works and the performance guarantee test of the treatment plant. The project is targeted for completion by December 2026.

Minister Rai directed officials to work in close coordination and ensure that the targeted completion schedule is maintained.

Later, the Minister visited the South West Guwahati Water Supply Project and chaired a review meeting at the project site. The project has a total capacity of 107 MLD and is expected to cater to around 30,000 households.

Officials briefed the Minister on various bottlenecks affecting the completion of the project. Following detailed discussions, Rai stressed the need for coordinated efforts by all concerned agencies to resolve the issues and operationalise the project at the earliest.

He directed officials to convene a joint review meeting on Friday with concerned MLAs of Guwahati and representatives of PWD, PWRD, NHAI, NHIDCL, Railways, Oil, GMDA and the district administrations of Kamrup and Kamrup Metropolitan, among other agencies.

Once fully operational, the South West Guwahati Water Supply Project is expected to benefit Maligaon, Adabari, Jalukbari and adjoining areas.

Rai reiterated that timely completion and full operationalisation of the projects are essential for strengthening Guwahati's urban water supply infrastructure and ensuring reliable drinking water supply to residents.

Officials of the Guwahati Jal Board and representatives of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) were also present during the visit and review meeting.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash