The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to advance a loan of US $206 million to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in Tiruchi and other cities in Tamil Nadu and strengthen the capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery in the state. The Centre signed an agreement with ADB in New Delhi on Monday.
This is the second project loan for the ADB-supported USD 500 million multi-tranche financing for the Tamil Nadu Urban Flagship Investment Programme, approved in September 2018. The programme aims to develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure in 10 cities of Tamil Nadu. The first project under the programme, with USD 169 million financing, is currently under implementation.
Monday’s agreement was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, and Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, an ADB press release said.
“The project is aimed at improving the lives of the urban people in the identified cities of Tamil Nadu by providing universal access to water supply and sanitation and improving sewage treatment and drainage systems,” said Mr. Khare after signing the loan agreement.
“The project interventions will benefit residents, workers and industries in the state’s economic corridors thereby building industrial competitiveness and creating good jobs. It also supports urban reform agenda such as better service delivery through private operators with quality benchmarking,” said Mr. Yokoyama.
The project will be implemented in four cities – Ambur, Tiruchi, Tiruppur, and Vellore – for developing sewage collection and treatment and drainage systems by setting up or rehabilitating sewage treatment plants, pumping stations, and connecting all households in the project area to the sewerage network, including below poverty line households. Waste water reuse for industry will also be achieved in at least 4 cities.
Improvement to water supply systems would be made in the cities of Madurai and Tiruppur through commissioning of over 1,260 km of new distribution lines to connect nearly 1,90,000 households with metered water supply, including below poverty line households. In addition, nearly 200 km of new transmission mains and 230 km of feeder mains would be constructed along with two new water treatment plants.
The project will also strengthen capacity of the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration in Tamil Nadu for new project development, and monitoring and benchmarking quality of services across the 135 urban local bodies in the state, the release added.
