The State government will launch ‘Chennai City Partnership’, a unique model of development co-operation with the World Bank, to ensure continued sustainable growth of Metropolitan Chennai, said Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.
Presenting the Budget on Friday, he said that the project comprises three major pillars — urban mobility, water resilience and urban governance and finance. “The World Bank assistance indicated for the Chennai City Partnership is $1 billion. Approvals will be obtained for specific programmes and projects during the year 2020-21,” said Mr. Panneerselvam.
A provision of ₹350 crore has been made in the Budget estimates for 2020-21 “in anticipation of early approval” for the ‘Integrated Storm Water Drain Network’ covering a distance of 765 km in the extended areas of Chennai in the Kosasthalaiyar river basin at a total cost of ₹2,518 crore. “The Greater Chennai Corporation has prepared a project and sent it to the Asian Development Bank for assistance,” he said.
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River eco-restoration
“The work on eco-restoration of the Cooum river is nearing completion and that of the Adyar river is in progress. In the next stage, the government will take up the ecorestoration of the Buckingham Canal and its drains and all the drains of the Cooum and Adyar at a total cost of ₹5,439.76 crore,” he said.
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In the first phase, the government has already sanctioned an amount of ₹1,001 crore for sewage mitigation schemes. The overall outlay includes a sum of ₹3,339.90 crore for construction of dwelling units by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board.
The Finance Minister said in this financial year, so far, the State did not face any major disaster. The government has utilised the period of lull to effectively prepare against future disasters. A total of 4,399 vulnerable areas have been identified and interdepartmental zonal teams have been formed for immediate response.
The Chennai Coastal Flood Warning System (C-FLOWS) has been developed for issuing multi-hazard early warning in the Greater Chennai Corporation areas in association with the National Centre for Coastal Research.
The government has proposed the Comprehensive Flood Mitigation Project for Greater Chennai to the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank at a total cost of ₹3,000 crore as a follow-on project to the Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project, which will be coming to a successful completion.
In the Budget estimates for 2020-21, a sum of ₹1,360.11 crore is provided for disaster management,” he said.
Desalination plants
Metrowater has taken up the construction of a 150-MLD seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant at Nemmeli with KfW assistance at a cost of ₹1,259 crore. In the Budget, ₹500 crore has been provided. The government has accorded administrative sanction for the implementation of 400-MLD SWRO plant at Perur near Chennai at a project cost of ₹6,078.40 crore, with funding assistance of ₹4,267.70 crore from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). A consultant for detailed design has been appointed and works on the project will commence shortly, he said.
“There is an urgent necessity to improve the water supply system in the city to minimise water losses. The underground sewerage system needs to be extended to 14 more added areas of Chennai city. Tertiary treatment facility will be established to treat 260 MLD of secondary treated sewage. To fulfil the requirements, Metrowater has prepared the Climate Resilient Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project at a cost of ₹4,500 crore and posted it to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for financing,” Mr. Panneerselvam said.