If you are a resident of Pub Sarania or Zoo Road Tiniali like Bharat Chakraborty and Nabajit Sharma respectively, one can be sure that you are on Cloud Nine. A commodity that you had been missing so badly in your household is now in plenty, and that, too, 24X7. Like them, you must be thanking your lucky stars that finally the daily anxiety is over once and for all.
This is what the Guwahati Water Supply Project has done to nearly 13,000 residents of these areas besides nearby ones with the partial commissioning of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted project that began piping water at full speed to these households on December 21. of these areas.
“Potable water problems had jeopardised the day-to-day affairs of people of my locality for over a decade. When the JICA aided water supply project’s work started in 2010-11, we were expecting an end to the water woes of our area by 2014-2015. However, the wait got longer. There came a time when we started thinking that it will not be done. However, beginning December 22, this hope has turned into a reality. We are getting water 24X7. I am thankful to the Government, Sarma, a retired engineer, told Asom Barta.
Chakraborty, a resident of Bye Lane No. 6 (West), Pub Sarania, had his anxiety almost over in November with the trial run of the project. “I got my new water supply connection from Guwahati Jal Board a month prior to the partial commissioning of the JICA water supply scheme. During the trial run, the speed was normal but since the evening of December 21, we are witnessing a very impressive speed of the water supply. It is available throughout now,” Chakraborty told this reporter. He said that the installation of a water metre against every connection is a good idea to curb wastage.
The ceremony of partial commissioning of water was attended by Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on the premises of the water treatment plant at Kharghuli in Guwahati.
He termed the project a milestone in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the residents of Guwahati. The Chief Minister exuded confidence that the partial commissioning of the project would be able to mitigate water scarcity woes of a significant number of households.
The Chief Minister stated that the aim was to provide water supply to more than one lakh households adding that all necessary steps were being taken to ensure completion of the entire project by March 2024. He said that the partial commissioning would provide the residents of East Guwahati with a well-maintained water supply system, one of their long-standing demands.
One such resident is Prabindra Nath Bhuyan. “A safe water supply is the backbone of a healthy society. It was woefully under prioritised by the previous Governments in Assam. I am sure that the project will be completed at the earliest, said Bhuyan, a resident of Kripa Sindhu Path near the Gauhati Commerce College.
The Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to JICA for its flexibility and patience.
Minister of Department of Housing and Urban Affairs Ashok Singhal said that the project would be completed as per schedule, following the Chief Minister’s mantra of reform, perform and transform.
Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of Japan to India Kunihiko Kawazu, Chief Representative of JICA India Office Mitsunori Saito were also present in the programme.
“All these while we were compelled to procure drinking water in tanks from private players. This will end now. I want to say “Thank You” to the Government of Assam,” Debotpal Goswami, whose house is near the Chandmari Railway track in Pub Sarania, told this reporter.
