KMC readies water boost for BBD Bag office zone, Burrabazar belt
Times of India | 5 January 2026
Kolkata: Residents and traders of China Bazar, Brabourne Road, Netaji Subhas Road, Strand Road, Bonfield Lane and Chura Market may hope to get rid of the water crisis next summer. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) water supply department is about to start replacing an old, worn-out water pipe that had developed cracks and had led to a water crisis in the Burrabazar-BBD Bag belt.
According to plans, the KMC water supply department will replace the old, cracked pipe, and link it to another pipe to ensure that the replaced pipe gets a supply of potable water in large volume, a civic official said. However, the KMC water supply department is waiting for a nod from the Kolkata Police's traffic wing to start the replacement work. "Once we obtain permission, we will start work without delay and try to wind up by the end of Jan," a water supply department official said.
A KMC team was activated to take up the challenge of bringing relief to thousands of people in the Burrabazar-BBD Bag belt after local councillor Santosh Kumar Pathak raised the issue at the KMC House in Dec.
Later, Pathak complained that he had been vocal about the water crisis issue for a long time but no concrete action had been taken till date. "It is heartening that the KMC water supply department took up a project to augment water supply in the Burrabazar-BBD Bag area. But the civic body should try its best to supply adequate water from next summer," Pathak said.
According to a KMC source, much before replacing a water pipe in the heart of the city, the water supply department took up a plan to change the water scenario in large parts of north Kolkata, including the city's business district, to rejuvenate the Jorabagan water treatment plant. At present, the capacity of this plant remains underutilised due to a paucity of raw water from the Hooghly, as the Mallickghat water pumping station is failing to supply raw water to this plant according to daily demand.
The plan aimed at giving adequate water to residents in large parts of Rabindra Sarani, Burrabazar, BBD Bag, Jorabagan, Pathuriaghata Street, Madan Mohon Burman Road, Beadon Street, Jorasanko and parts of Chittaranjan Avenue.
The water supply department was assigned to lay pipelines from Mayer Ghat in Bagbazar as an alternative source to supply abundant raw water to the plant. "We are in the dark about this plan at present. But we ensured that the Jorabagan water treatment plant does not suffer from a shortage of raw water during any crisis," an official said.