Assam's Jal Jeevan Mission “On Paper Only”: Doboka Residents Wait for Clean Water

While the Assam government claims significant progress under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the reality on the ground is quite different. Villagers in Doboka and surrounding areas such as Mikirpara, Kacharipara, Karaiguri, and Namati continue to struggle to access clean, safe drinking water.

The scheme, launched under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, promised to provide piped water to households in these villages. Despite spending around Rs 1.57 crore on the project in Kacharipara, which was completed more than a year ago, not a single household has access to the piped water, locals have alleged.

Across the Binnakandi block, many villages face the same problem, with people still having to drink water that is murky and high in iron.

One of the residents said, “We contacted the department and even staged a protest, but to no avail. Till now, we haven’t received the promised clean drinking water connection. It is said that Rs 1.57 crore was spent on the project, but we don’t know if the contractor pocketed the money and left the work incomplete. Even after so much time, many villages are still not getting piped water.”

“The work that was expected did not get completed despite the government spending such a large amount,” he added.

According to written replies submitted in the Assam Assembly by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Sirajuddin Ajmal, the Public Health Engineering Department reported that out of 160 proposed Jal Jeevan Mission schemes in Binnakandi, 103 have been completed, and 32,526 out of 60,236 planned household connections have been installed.

Local villagers are frustrated, saying the scheme seems to exist only “on paper.” They are urging Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, under whose charge the Jal Jeevan Mission operates, to take immediate steps so they can finally get the clean water they were promised, a basic necessity that continues to be out of reach for too many families even after being implemented long back.

Also Read: Assam Villages Thirst as Jal Jeevan Mission Funds Vanish & Water Pipes Remain Dry