Guwahati: Assam public health engineering department minister Krishnendu Paul on Wednesday directed officials to restore all non-functional water supply schemes in Kamrup district within seven days, warning that lapses in providing drinking water would invite action.The directive comes as nearly one-fifth of rural households in the district are yet to receive tap water connections and several existing schemes remain defunct.Under Jal Jeevan Mission, tap water coverage in Assam stands at 82.03% of targeted rural households, while Kamrup’s coverage is 79.34%. In the district, only 557 of the 930 commissioned water supply schemes — 59.89% — are functional, according to JJM data.Assam and Manipur trail other northeastern states, with Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram achieving 100% coverage.“No negligence will be tolerated. All defunct water supply schemes in Kamrup district must be made operational within the next seven days,” Paul said while chairing a review meeting on the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM 2.0) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) 2.0 at Bhrigu Kumar Phukan Auditorium in Dadara in Kamrup.The meeting reviewed the progress of drinking water projects under Guwahati Division No. 1 and Rangia Division, with a focus on restoring defunct schemes, ensuring quality and uninterrupted water supply of drinking water, and improving rural sanitation infrastructure.Interacting with elected representatives and departmental officials, Paul stressed the need for coordinated efforts to ensure that every household in the district has access to safe piped drinking water and every rural area has proper sanitation facilities.The minister also asked officials to work closely with local MLAs, panchayat representatives and residents to accelerate the implementation of the schemes.Guwahati MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi and MLAs Raju Mech, Prakash Chandra Das and Himanshu Shekhar Baishya attended the meeting.Kamrup Zila Parishad chairperson Nipon Bhuyan, district commissioner Deba Kumar Mishra, Zila Parishad chief executive officer Siddhartha Goswami, PHED chief engineer (Water) Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma and chief engineer (Sanitation) Ramya Jyoti Sharma were also present, along with block development officers, Zila Parishad members, gaon panchayat representatives, panchayat secretaries and other departmental officials.
