Hailakandi: Minister for public health engineering department Rihon Daimari inaugurated the Integrated Rupcherra Multi-Village Piped Water Supply Scheme, worth over Rs 19.67 crore, here on Thursday.

Altogether 23,000 families, covering 44 habitations, will get safe drinking water through taps in their households. Besides, 80 street hydrants will also be installed under the scheme.

With an intake capacity of 3 million litres per day, the scheme that draws water from Katakhal river, covers Rupac-herra, Vernapur, Lalamukh, Lalacherra, Jugicherra, Sonacherra and Dholai areas.

At a function at Rupcherra, a non-descript village about 30km from here, Daimari said the people of seven tea gardens and their adjoining areas will get safe and piped drinking water under the scheme.

The minister called on tea garden workers, rural people, the tea garden management and the administration for constitution of a committee to keep the scheme sustainable.

He added that he would hold discussions with the managers and owners of the tea gardens to render all possible support to make the scheme sustainable as the plan would mostly benefit the plantation workers.

Minister for environment and forest Parimal Suklabaidya said a long-felt need of the plantation workers of seven tea estates and adjoining areas has been fulfilled.

Daimari said four districts of Assam have been declared open defecation-free so far and that Rs 4 crore has been sanctioned for Hailakandi district for restoration of the defunct toilets under the earlier Total Sanitation Campaign.