‘Every house to get purified drinking water by May 2024’

Alipurduar: In May 2024, the purified drinking water pipeline will reach all 22,000 households across the 20 wards of the Alipurduar Municipality. During a government distribution programme on December 10, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced at the parade ground in Alipurduar that drinking water would be accessible to every household in the municipality by 2024.

Prasenjit Kar, Chairman of Alipurduar Municipality, stated: “The entire municipal area has been divided into 5 zones. Tender work orders for three zones have already been completed and the tender process for the last two zones will be finished by the first week of January 2024. We anticipate that the work will be completed on schedule.”

According to Alipurduar Municipality, efforts to provide purified drinking water to every household began in 2018. The total project cost of Rs 102 crore faced some delays due to the COVID-19 situation. The construction of a large water reservoir near Radha Madhab temple at Ward 4 at Alipurduar has already been completed for the project.

Water pipelines are being laid in several wards gradually, with the main pipeline installation set to be completed in all wards by April 2024. In the final phase, branch lines from the main pipeline will extend into each house. The Nonai River, located next to the city, will serve as the water source. Water will be drawn, purified, and collected in the main reservoir before being piped to each house as purified drinking water.