Guwahati, Feb 19: The persistent issue of pipeline bursts in Guwahati found some discussion on the second day of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly session on Wednesday.

Responding to a query from Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) legislator Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Public Health Engineering Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah informed the House that the first phase of a robotic survey to detect faults in the main supply pipeline in Guwahati has identified malfunctions in 12 joints.

"We have identified 12 faulty joints," he said, attributing most pipeline bursts in the city to substandard work by previous contractors.

"But now, we have brought in experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and are also conducting robotic surveys to identify and resolve the issue," he added.

Notably, after the first phase of the robotic survey, the Guwahati Jal Board deferred the next two due to acute water scarcity. Public outrage followed, as the shutdown coincided with the Advantage Assam 2.0 event, starting February 25.

Earlier, legislator Kalita had questioned the department about the status of the water supply schemes in the South East and South West regions.

Touching upon the loan from the New Development Bank (NDB) for the scheme, Kalita noted that the project had been ongoing since 2013 and asked for an estimated completion timeline.

In response, Minister Baruah stated that the South West Guwahati Water Supply Scheme is designed to supply 107 million litres per day to 30,000 families and is expected to commence operations by December 2025. “We should be able to complete it by 2026,” he added.

He further informed the House that the scheme, initiated under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 2008, was originally handled by Gammon.

However, due to the company's “sluggish pace of work”, the government replaced it with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and BK Associates in 2022.

"Of the 33,000 households, 24,000 are covered by L&T and the rest by BK Associates. Currently, in Kamakhya, about 1,500 families are receiving water, and progress is steady," he said.

Regarding South East Guwahati, Minister Baruah stated that the government had secured a loan of a little over ₹882 crore from the NDB for the scheme’s implementation. In the first phase, three reservoirs had been constructed, along with some roadwork.