Jalpaiguri: Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project, purified water sourced from the Teesta River will soon be supplied to households across Jalpaiguri. In the first phase, 19,000 homes across 25 municipal wards will receive piped water. However, while supply is expected to begin before Mahalaya, the water will undergo a three-month potability testing phase before being declared safe for drinking.
An Infiltrator Gallery has been constructed in the Teesta River near Paharpur to extract water from the riverbed. This water is transported to a new water treatment plant, where it is purified before being sent to reservoirs across the town. Final valve-fitting work is underway to pump the treated water into the supply network.
“Water has been drawn from the Teesta and stored in the Infiltrator Gallery. It has reached the treatment plant and only the valve-fitting work remains.
Once completed, 22 million litres of treated water will be supplied to the city daily,” said Asim Kumar De, Executive Engineer of the Jalpaiguri Municipal Engineering department. Initially, the water will be suitable for non-potable use such as cleaning and washing. The municipality will monitor and test the water over three months before giving clearance for consumption.
“Residents will be informed via loudspeakers before supply begins, and again once the water is declared safe to drink,” De added.
Currently, Jalpaiguri’s water supply infrastructure is outdated, with many residents complaining of high iron content. As a result, most depend on bottled water or use home filtration systems.
The AMRUT project aims to modernise the system and ensure access to clean water.
Municipality vice-chairman Saikat Chatterjee confirmed the timeline. “Though water will begin reaching homes shortly, the trial run will last three months. Therefore, even if households receive supply before Durga Puja, the official clearance for drinking use is likely to come by
December,” he said.
In the second phase, the municipality has submitted a proposal to the state government to expand the network to another 6,000 households.