5 cities to have climate-resilient water supply, sewage, drainage infra
Chennai: Five cities in Tamil Nadu will soon boast of having climate-resilient water supply, sewerage and drainage infrastructure, thanks to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has come forward to advance $ 206 Million loan to the government to strengthen urban services in the 5 cities.
The project is aimed at improving the lives of the people in the identified cities by providing universal access to water supply and sanitation and improving sewage treatment and drainage systems. The initiative is also expected to help the State develop the requisite ecosystem for economic growth, according to Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB) of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance Sameer Kumar Khare.
This is the second project loan for the ADB-supported $500 million multi-tranche financing for Tamil Nadu Urban Flagship Investment Program, approved in September 2018, that will overall develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure in 10 cities of Tamil Nadu. The first project under the program with $169 million financing is currently under implementation.
The project will target 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. Wastewater reuse for industry will also be achieved in at least 4 cities.
Improvement to water supply systems would be targeted in Madurai and Tiruppur through the 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 the 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 signatories to the loan agreement were Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare and ADB Country Director for India Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama.
“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 and with quality benchmarking,” Mr. Yokoyama said.
