Work on mega drinking water project in Siliguri flagged off

SILIGURI: Gautam Deb, the Mayor of Siliguri, laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the work of the mega drinking water project near Hawa Mahal in Gajoldoba under the AMRUT 2.0 project on Friday. This initiative aims to resolve the longstanding problem of inadequate drinking water supply in Siliguri. The entire project is estimated to cost around Rs 511 crore. The first phase will involve an investment of Rs 204 crore.

The first phase includes the installation of a 28 km pipeline that will transport water, pumped from the Teesta River at Gajoldoba to the water treatment plant in Fulbari. From there, purified water will be distributed to the Municipal wards of Siliguri.

“The foundation stone was laid for the first phase of the pipeline work. The second phase has already been tendered. We expect that the second phase work will also start before Durga Puja. The project is expected to be completed by December this year,” said Gautam Deb.

There is a supply shortage of drinking water in Siliguri. The city requires about 70 million liters per day (MLD) for a population of around 10 lakh, while the supply is 55 MLD.

The mega water project is aimed at augmenting this. It has a capacity of 135 MLD. The project was supposed to commence last year, but owing to various reasons, it was delayed.