Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: Manipur will bring tap water to every rural home by March 2028. Officials outlined the plan in Imphal this week. Currently, only 38 percent of rural households have functional connections. The state will bridge the gap through phased infrastructure rollouts.
An Asian Development Bank project remains the centerpiece of this effort. It should wrap up by March 2027. This initiative alone will reach 2.6 lakh homes, covering 58 percent of the rural population. Additional state and central schemes will handle the rest.
Urban infrastructure is seeing changes too. Greater Imphal relies on 12 water treatment plants to keep the taps running. The 45-million-litres-per-day Chingkheiching plant now pulls from the Thoubal Dam to serve homes as far as Ghari. The department is swapping out old cast iron pipes for durable ductile iron versions.
New tech is managing the flow. Engineers installed smart meters and a SCADA system to track distribution. The department also launched an online billing portal. Dorendra Rajkumar, Additional Chief Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department, noted the digital shift works. He said, "An online billing portal has also been launched, resulting in a 40-50 per cent increase in revenue collection."
Sanitation remains a priority. Crews finished the first phase of a major sewerage project in Thangmeiband, Lamphel, and Uripok. They are now working on Phase II. The state is also using federal grants to manage waste and keep communities free from open defecation.
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