New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $125 million loan for a project in Uttarakhand to construct 136 km of water pipe system to replace defective water networks and ensure reliable and continuous water supply.
This will benefit an estimated 40,000 people, including 4,000 urban poor and vulnerable groups. As a first in India’s water and sanitation sectors, the project will introduce four citywide computerized maintenance and management systems to advance operation and maintenance, and asset management of the water supply and sanitation infrastructures and services.
The Bank will provide a $250,000 technical assistance grant from its technical assistance special fund and another $750,000 grant from its climate change fund to further strengthen climate-resilient urban planning and development of the state by carrying out thorough assessment, supporting science-based decision making, developing smart integrated and resilient urban planning tools, and capacity-building activities.
Lack of reliable and clean water and sanitation services is a major concern in the fast-growing and rapidly urbanizing state of Uttarakhand, as ADB senior urban development specialist for South Asia Na Won Kim says. Water meters will also be installed in about 5,400 households to support efficient water use and consumption billing.
The project will establish sewage treatment plants in Dehradun, supported by 256 km of enclosed underground sewer networks and 117 km of stormwater drainage networks benefitting an estimated 138,000 residents, including 15,000 urban poor and vulnerable people.
The project incorporates some lessons from earlier ADB-financed projects in Uttarakhand and other states in India. These include, among others, building citywide sanitation to make them cost-effective, wider-reaching, and less water-dependent and engaging the private sector to build the skills of concerned urban local bodies on operation and maintenance systems. There will be a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and geographic information system to provide real-time data and information for monitoring.
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