Guwahati, July 9 (IANS) Assam Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai said on Thursday on the floor of the Legislative Assembly that the long-delayed drinking water supply projects in Guwahati, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), are now expected to be completed by December this year after more than a decade since work began.

Replying to a query by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Rai added that the South-Central Guwahati Water Supply Project has achieved 96.75 per cent physical progress, while the North Guwahati Water Supply Project has reached 95.75 per cent completion.

The Minister said that work on both projects commenced in March 2012 and was initially scheduled for completion within 36 months and 28 months, respectively.

However, the projects have witnessed significant delays over the years.

Minister Rai told the House that a total of Rs 1,450.87 crore has been spent on the two projects, including Rs 1,425.93 crore through JICA assistance and Rs 24.95 crore from the State-Owned Priority Development (SOPD) fund.

He added that the entire JICA loan component had been utilised by December 2024, while the remaining works are expected to be finished by the end of 2026.

According to the Minister, the South-Central Guwahati project is already supplying potable water to 83,569 households, whereas the North Guwahati scheme is expected to cover around 15,000 households after it becomes fully operational.

The State Assembly was also told that the South-West Guwahati Water Supply Project, being implemented by the Guwahati Jal Board since October 2023, has recorded 72 per cent progress.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 324.35 crore, is scheduled for completion by the middle of 2027.

Minister Rai also said the South-East Guwahati Water Supply Project has completed 17 per cent of its first phase.

While the Asian Development Bank-supported initial phase concluded in September 2021, the remaining work resumed in March this year with financial support from the New Development Bank (NDB).

The Rs 192.46 crore project is targeted for completion by May 2029.

The Minister also told the House that the Zoo Road Water Supply Scheme, commissioned in 1996 and transferred to the Guwahati Jal Board in 2015, has incurred expenditure of Rs 75.39 crore and currently provides drinking water to around 900 households.

Besides the Jal Board projects, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation operates water supply schemes at Panbazar, Satpukhuri and Kamakhya.

During the previous financial year, Rs 3.52 crore was spent on these schemes, benefiting nearly 21,000 consumers.

Minister Rai said surveys indicate that Guwahati requires drinking water connections for about 2.21 lakh households, while work on the JICA-assisted Guwahati Sewerage Project is also in progress.

–IANS

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