Government Targets Completion of Long-Delayed JICA Water Supply Projects by December 2026

Guwahati: Today, the Assam government informed the State Assembly that the long-pending Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted drinking water supply projects in Guwahati, launched in 2012, remain incomplete but are now targeted for completion by December 2026.

Replying to an unstarred question by MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai said the South-Central Guwahati Water Supply Project has achieved 96.75 per cent physical progress, while the North Guwahati Water Supply Project stands at 95.75 per cent completion. Both projects were originally scheduled to be completed within 36 months and 28 months, respectively, after work began in March 2012.

The minister informed the House that the two JICA-funded projects have incurred a combined expenditure of Rs 1,450.87 crore, including Rs 1,425.93 crore through JICA loans and Rs 24.95 crore under the State-Owned Priority Development (SOPD) Fund. The JICA loan component was fully utilised by December 2024, while the remaining works are expected to be completed by December 2026.

As per the government, the South-Central Guwahati Water Supply Project is currently providing drinking water to 83,569 households. The North Guwahati Water Supply Project, once fully commissioned, is expected to benefit around 15,000 households.

The Assembly was also informed that the South-West Guwahati Water Supply Project, launched under the Guwahati Jal Board in October 2023, has reached 72 per cent completion and is scheduled to be completed by mid-2027. The project has an estimated cost of Rs 324.35 crore.

Meanwhile, Phase I of the South-East Guwahati Water Supply Project has achieved 17 per cent progress. Although the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported first phase concluded in September 2021, the remaining work resumed in March 2026 with financial assistance from the New Development Bank (NDB) and is expected to be completed by May 2029. The project is estimated to cost Rs 192.46 crore.

Rai further informed the House that the Zoo Road Water Supply Scheme, commissioned in 1996, has incurred an expenditure of Rs 75.39 crore since being transferred to the Guwahati Jal Board in 2015 and currently supplies drinking water to around 900 households.

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

Highlighting  Guwahati’s future requirements, the minister said surveys estimate that Guwahati will require water connections for nearly 2.21 lakh households. This includes around 1.10 lakh households 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 Assembly that, apart from the JICA-assisted drinking water projects, work on the JICA-supported Guwahati Sewerage Project is progressing.

Also Read- Centre Continues to Examine ST Status Proposal for Six Assam Communities