Kolkata: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an additional $101 million loan to scale up the West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project, furthering efforts to provide safe, sustainable, and inclusive drinking water services in rural areas of the state.
This financing complements the ongoing $240 million project approved in 2018 and will focus particularly on regions affected by arsenic, fluoride, and salinity contamination, such as Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas.
Expanding Safe Water Infrastructure
The additional funding will support the development of alternate water sources in Purba Medinipur and help prepare a new drinking water supply proposal for salinity-affected and unserved areas in South 24 Parganas. The project aims to reduce dependence on contaminated groundwater by expanding piped water supply systems.
ADB Urban Specialist Sourav Majumder said, “The new financing builds on the innovative practices of the ongoing project and aims to reduce communities’ reliance on unsafe groundwater. It ensures last-mile delivery and empowers local communities, especially women, through inclusive infrastructure and capacity-building.”
Innovative and Sustainable Model
The project has already introduced a high-tech rural water supply model featuring continuous service delivery and standards exceeding typical rural benchmarks in India. Notable innovations include:
- 3,90,000 metered household connections
- SCADA-based smart water management
- GIS-based monitoring systems
Infrastructure progress includes four water treatment plants, 79 storage reservoirs, and approximately 6,200 kilometers of pipelines across Bankura, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur.
Empowering Local Governance
A key element of the new phase is the rollout of the Asset Management and Service Delivery Framework (AMSDF). This framework empowers gram panchayats to manage water services locally and set operational standards, including metering, tariffs, and human resource guidelines, ensuring long-term sustainability.
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