India, ADB sign $112-million loan to improve water supply infrastructure in Jharkhand

The Central government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday signed a $112-million loan to develop water supply infrastructure and strengthen capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery in four towns in Jharkhand, informed the Ministry of Finance.

The signatories to the agreement for Jharkhand Urban Water Supply Improvement Project were Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed for the Government of India, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB, according to a press statement from the Ministry.

After signing the agreement, Mishra stated that the project is aligned with the Government of Jharkhand's priority to improve urban services in the state and will ensure continuously, treated piped water supply in Ranchi and other three towns of Hussainabad, Jhumri Telaiya, and Medininagar located in economically and socially backward areas.

"The project will be ADB's first urban project in the state and help establish a model for continuous water supply combined with policy reforms for a sustainable operation which can be replicated by other low-income states for providing safe drinking water to urban households as envisaged under national Jal Jeevan Mission," said Konishi.

Four water treatment plants, with a combined capacity of 275-million litres per day, will be established in the project towns to provide safe drinking water meeting with the national drinking water quality standards. The project will also establish 940 kilometers of the water distribution network to provide continuous water supply to about 115,000 households, including those below the poverty line, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe members, and other vulnerable groups.

To ensure sustainability, the project will strengthen the capacity of ULBs on urban service delivery and governance through the development of an asset management strategy and training on design and implementation of urban projects. Innovative technologies will be introduced to minimize water losses in water treatment and distribution. The project also includes the use of supervisory control and data acquisition system for water supply operation, and geographic information system-based asset management in Ranchi.

ADB is committed to achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members--49 from the region, read the statement.

( With inputs from ANI )