Imphal: Manipur has set a target of achieving 100 per cent household tap water coverage in rural areas under the Jal Jeevan Mission by March 2028, while an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded water supply project is expected to be completed a year earlier, officials said on Tuesday.
The roadmap was outlined by Additional Chief Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Dorendra Rajkumar, during a press conference in Imphal, where he highlighted the state’s ongoing efforts to expand access to safe drinking water, modernise urban water infrastructure and strengthen sanitation services.
Rajkumar said around 38 per cent of rural households in the state currently have functional tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The remaining households will be covered in phases, with the government aiming to achieve universal rural tap water access by March 2028.
He said the ADB-funded External Aided Project (EAP), scheduled for completion by March 2027, will provide piped drinking water to nearly 2.6 lakh rural households, accounting for about 58 per cent of the state’s rural population. The rest will be covered under other state and centrally sponsored schemes.
In the urban sector, the PHED is upgrading Greater Imphal’s water supply network through a series of infrastructure projects. Twelve water treatment plants operating across 14 locations are currently supplying treated drinking water to residents.
Among the major facilities is the 45-million-litres-per-day (MLD) Chingkheiching Water Treatment Plant, which draws raw water from the Thoubal Dam and now supplies treated water to areas up to Ghari in Imphal West.
To improve efficiency, the department has introduced smart water meters and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for real-time monitoring of water distribution. An online billing portal has also been launched, resulting in a 40-50 per cent increase in revenue collection, Rajkumar said.
He added that ageing cast iron distribution pipelines are being replaced with ductile iron pipes, while new overhead reservoirs and storage tanks are being constructed under externally aided projects to strengthen the water supply network.
On sanitation, Rajkumar said Phase I of the state’s sewerage project has been completed in Thangmeiband, Lamphel and Uripok, while Phase II is currently under implementation.
He added that under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II, the department is continuing efforts to sustain Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and improve solid and liquid waste management through convergence with Finance Commission grants and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).