Guwahati: The Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water & Sewerage Board (Guwahati Jal Board) has announced a financial aid of Rs 4.8 lakh for families impacted by the severe water pipe explosion that occurred in Guwahati’s Kharghuli area on Thursday.
The water pipe explosion, which occurred under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted Guwahati Water Supply Project (GWSP), damaged several houses in the area.
According to an official order issued by Managing Director Pallav Gopal Jha, the compensation has been allocated under Section 80 of the ‘Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water & Sewerage Board Act, 2009’.
The sanctioned amount of Rs 4.8 lakh will be distributed among four individuals whose houses sustained significant damage: Anowar Hussain, Abu Fateh Ahmed, Moumin Seikh, and Binita Das, each receiving Rs 1, 20,000.
The Guwahati Jal Board has assured that further assistance will be provided if needed.
The recent water pipe burst in Kharghuli has raised serious concerns about the resilience of the infrastructure under the ambitious JICA-supported Guwahati Water Supply Project.
This incident, despite the project’s aim to provide reliable drinking water to Guwahati, raises questions about the long-term sustainability of the project’s goals.
A major water pipeline burst in Guwahati’s Kharghuli area on Thursday morning, January 2, 2025, around 10:15 am, causing significant property damage and widespread disruption.
The incident resulted in extensive damage to over five homes, seven vehicles, and numerous business establishments.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Debabrata Saikia moved the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) with a complaint against the blast of a pipeline carrying water in the Kharguli area in Guwahati.
Following a similar incident on May 25, 2023, Saikia filed two complaints with the AHRC against the agencies responsible for laying and maintaining the pipelines.
In his complaint, Saikia said, “In view of the above and in greater public interest, I urge you to take cognizance of the incident and take necessary measures to ensure the department/board concerned is more responsible so that the possible technical glitches can be fathomed and remedial measures are immediately taken as per the requirement to prevent recurrence of such incident(s) and ensure safety to life and property of the public.”
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In response to the recent incident, the Guwahati Jal Board has cut off the city’s water supply for three days to facilitate repairs and prevent further damage.
