Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has announced a Rs 2,014 crore drinking water project for Aurangabad, Sasaram and Dehri, with Rs 1,774 crore approved by NABARD to upgrade water infrastructure under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund. The scheme will use surface water from the Sone river to strengthen existing supply systems in the three towns.
The announcement was made by the chief minister on Thursday, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office. Choudhary said the project would expand drinking water facilities and improve water availability in the three areas. The state government said the scheme would initially serve a population of around 8 lakh.
The project is expected to cover nearly 12 lakh people by 2051, indicating that the planned infrastructure is being designed around long-term population growth in the three towns. The announcement did not provide details of the proposed treatment capacity, distribution network, construction schedule, tendering process or commissioning date.
The funding approved by NABARD is part of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, which supports infrastructure projects through institutional financing. The statement did not specify how the remaining amount from the total project cost would be financed or provide a town-wise allocation for Aurangabad, Sasaram and Dehri.
The proposed use of Sone river water will reinforce existing drinking water systems rather than replace them, according to the chief minister’s statement. The announcement therefore links the project to both source augmentation and the strengthening of civic supply infrastructure. Details on water treatment facilities, transmission lines, storage arrangements and household-level connections were not included in the information released.
Choudhary also linked the initiative to Bihar’s Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali campaign, which promotes water conservation, environmental protection and the sustainable use of water resources. The project’s stated objective is to provide residents with clean and adequate drinking water while expanding the capacity of urban and surrounding supply systems.
The announcement places the three towns within a wider state effort to improve basic infrastructure with support from the Union government and financial institutions. For residents, the eventual impact will depend on how quickly the approved funding is converted into construction, treatment and distribution capacity, as well as how the expanded network is operated and maintained.
The Bihar government has not yet announced the project’s implementation timeline, construction milestones or completion date. Further details are expected as the scheme moves from funding approval to execution.
