‘Drought’ amid flood: Despite rains, Guwahati citizens thirst for water

Google Assam news and you will see stories about floods right now. The annual onset of monsoons has brought along a deluge that has now impacted over 4 lakh people. But amid the deluge, is a crippling water shortage, especially in urban jungles like Guwahati, and for now, it seems the problems are here to stay. 

The story of Usha Devi, a 55-year-old woman from Pub Madhav Deb Nagar, Maligaon, Guwahati, will resonate with thousands of residents of Guwahati. Every day, she makes at least 4-5 trips (300-350 metres downhill and uphill each) fetching water from a community well for her family of six: two sons, one daughter, and two grandchildren. She had undergone an operation on her hip on 13 May, but the lack of water supply in her area forced her to do this every day.

“One of my sons (25 years) works as a painter and the other (30 years) as a labourer in Fancy Bazar. About 15-20 days ago, I underwent an operation that left me struggling to walk. But as my children have to leave for work early in the morning, I am left with no other option. The condition of my house adds to the hardships. The tin roof is riddled with holes, and rainwater seeps through those holes drenching us and the corners of our home at night,” said Devi. 

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About 200 households in the area have been deprived of a government water supply.

“Our children, mere daily workers, toil from dawn till dusk. That leaves us, the elderly, with the burden of fetching water, day in and day out. We have spent our entire lives hauling water (from the community well) on this hill. From our youth to this old age, we find ourselves trapped in an unending cycle of fetching water,” expressed Alima Begum, her voice trembling with frustration. Begum has been living in the area for 15 years now. 

During rains, the well often becomes contaminated with mud, rendering the water unfit for consumption. In such circumstances, Devi and others rely upon those who possess borewells within their residences.

With the advent of monsoons, the burden may reduce for a bit, but the struggle to fetch drinking water persists. 

The residents store rainwater for cooking, bathing, and household chores. Each household requires a minimum of 100-150 litres of water per day, necessitating a person to make at least 5 trips a day which, otherwise, is about 7-8 times during the dry seasons. The rain-soaked marshy road threatens their trip at every step. 

Those who can afford to buy water at a staggering cost of Rs 650 for 1000 litres. The steep hills amplify the price, making water a luxury. The residents have pleaded with the Jal Board and their constituency’s MLA, Ramen Kalita, for assistance, but their cries for help have fallen on deaf ears. 

Water projects: A story of never-ending delays

Now, one may be tempted to say that the government has not been doing enough to address this issue, but that is not entirely true. 

The lack of water in Guwahati is not a new problem, and to address this, the Government of Assam initiated four major water supply projects in the Guwahati Metropolitan Area to ensure that residents always have access to affordable, reliable, and safe water. 

These projects are divided into four regions: South West, North, Central, and South East. They’ve received funding from different sources: the Government of India (JNNURM) for the South West region, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the North and South Central regions, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the South East region. The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is handling the implementation of these projects with the help of independent Project Management Consultants/Implementation Units (PMC/PIU).

The far bigger issue has been the timely completion of such projects. 

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Take Maligaon for example, which falls under the South West Guwahati water project. The first detailed project report was submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) for clearance under the JnNURM program in December 2007 for Rs 398.48 crore. Due to a shortage of funds under the JnNURM program, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Govt of India, cleared the project for a cost of Rs 280.94 crores in 2008. The project was awarded to  Gammon India Limited on a turnkey basis. 

Initially, the project was assigned a deadline of September 2011. However, Gammon India Private Limited encountered several challenges, which necessitated an extension of the deadline until May 2022. Throughout the project, the firm received multiple deadline extensions from the Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water and Sewerage Board (GMDA). In August 2022, the GMDA decided to terminate the contract with Gammon. The contract in question pertained to the “design and construction of complete new 107 MLD capacity portable water supply infrastructure project on a turnkey basis in the south Guwahati western part.”

In March 2023, Assam Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal stated that an additional two years would be required for its completion. Furthermore, the government has allocated a revised budget of approximately Rs 277.84 crore to cover the remaining implementation costs of the project.

“The South West Project was launched in 2008 with funding support from the Central Government’s JNNURM project. The state government initially claimed that 95% of the work had been completed but then revised it to about 72% when the actual physical progress was found to be much less. Quite a major portion of the pipelines laid by Gammon has been damaged and till now only 5% of the population under the project have been able to receive water,” said Deepak Goswami, retired Deputy Director General & Head National Informatics Centre (NIC) Assam State Centre, Govt of India. 

“In 2008, the Tahal group was entrusted to prepare DPR for Guwahati in 4 different projects. The work should have been entrusted to execute by a government department having expert engineers. Tahal was again entrusted as PMC in 2009 for the South West project. But they left in 2017 for non-payment of their dues,” said Satyabrat Sarma, retired Chief Engineer, Assam Urban Water Supply Board. 

Hira Kalita may live far from Maligaon, but his problems are similar to those living in Maligaon. “It has been four years since we paid Rs 8500 for a water connection, yet the pipes remain broken and excavated holes have not been addressed. While some residents in the area receive relief through Municipality water, not everyone is fortunate enough to have access. Even then, the water supply is limited to just 10-15 minutes on alternate days,” says Kalita, a resident of Chandmari. 

During the December 2022 Assembly session, the Assam Government reported that around 74% of the South Central Project had been finished. However, Goswami expressed concern over the slow progress. “The Central Guwahati project stands as the largest, aiming to provide a water supply of 190 million litres per day. However, funding from JICA extends only until December 2024. Among the project components, only one unit of the water treatment plant has been completed out of the intended three. Similarly, out of the planned eight reservoirs, only two have been made functional till now. Furthermore, the construction of the pipeline network, spanning 1000 km, has seen a mere 700 km completed, with numerous gaps still prevalent. These need to be addressed promptly to ensure the project’s timely and successful completion within the funding constraints,” he said. 

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The situation gets worse when we talk about the East Guwahati project, said Goswami. “The East Guwahati project has unfortunately experienced the slowest progress among all the projects. As of now, there is no water treatment plant, only three out of six reservoirs have been completed and not a single metre of distribution pipeline has been laid,” he added. 

Sarma reiterated a similar perspective by stating “The South East Project, part of the Assam Urban Infrastructure Programme (AUIP), was initially awarded to IVRCL Ltd. Despite receiving the mobilisation advance, IVRCL Ltd. failed to make substantial progress and eventually withdrew from the project. Furthermore, in 2018, the Asian Development Bank withdrew its funding for the project.”

Presently, the Assam Government is seeking funding from the New Development Bank to resume the project. However, the Central Government will no longer act as a guarantor, placing the responsibility on the state government.

Existing projects giving headaches too

In the past few days, Jal Board has also faced significant criticism as a result of multiple water pipeline bursts which led to inconveniences for the affected communities. Speaking on the issue, Moloy Bora, former CEO, GMDA, said “During my tenure, as CEO of GMDA, the projects were funded by JICA and other funding agencies and implemented by the state government. Therefore, the blame cannot be attributed to JICA, which is an international funding agency.”

Additionally, it is crucial to have utility paths allocated for the pipelines and other agencies like telecommunications electricity, etc. When various departments dig the same location for their specific requirements, it leads to an excessive burden on the road infrastructure. and road collapses leading to gaping holes where accidents happen. “To address this issue, it is advisable to establish a coordinating committee that collaborates with all departments involved. This committee would facilitate efficient coordination under the Urban Development Minister Ashok Singhal,” Bora added.  

Groundwater depletion makes matters worse

Ramani Kanta Thakuria, Principal Scientist at Khanapara Campus, Assam Agricultural University, Guwahati and former Chief Scientist, Water Management, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat highlighted the concern of relying on borehole water systems as a consequence of inadequate government water supply. This approach poses a significant threat to groundwater sustainability.

“Though we have sufficient surface water, generally people consume groundwater, especially in Guwahati. Our state Assam is a rich source of groundwater. In Assam, the rate of groundwater development is 14% i.e. out of 100 litres, we are consuming 14 litres of replenishable groundwater. But this value for Guwahati is very high due to population, industrialisation and high consumption,” he said. 

“During COVID-19, the critical aspect was oxygen and the government gave more importance to oxygen plants. The government has taken up the JICA project here but until it is completed, the emergent issue is the depletion of groundwater. Just like oxygen plants, there should be water supply plants along the Brahmaputra with government-framed policies and norms.”

He also mentioned that the reduction of groundwater poses environmental risks. He said, “Unavailability of groundwater affects soil microbes. During periods of no rainfall, the soil moisture is depleted. When the microbial system is affected, natural decomposition is affected (as decomposition requires microbes). Surface water should be the primary source for domestic and drinking water supply as an alternative option. Guwahati, being located near the Brahmaputra River, has an abundant supply of surface water. Given our high per capita rainfall availability, it is concerning that per capita groundwater is depleting. Therefore, prioritising artificial groundwater recharge becomes crucial as in the case of Punjab and Haryana. In Guwahati, a significant portion of rainwater becomes runoff and flows into the Brahmaputra river, resulting in a minimal amount of rainwater percolating to replenish the groundwater.”

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