Water in the abandoned coal mines of Ranigunj and Asansol will be treated and made fit to drink. The government will undertake a Rs 1-crore project for the purpose, to be implemented by the public health engineering department at Salanpur in Asansol, about 200 km from Calcutta. The water will be collected from open-cast pits and treated. This water will be stored in reservoirs for supply to households. Public health engineering officials said that initially 1.5 million gallons of water would be supplied daily. Nearly 50,000 people in the colliery belt would benefit. The foundation stone for the project will be laid on February 4.