ADB to loan $125 million for water & sanitation development in Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN: The Government of India signed a loan pact of $125 million with the Asian Development Bank on Tuesday, December 6. The loan agreement was signed in order to improve access to safe and affordable drinking water as well as city-wide inclusive sanitation services in Dehradun and Nainital.

On behalf of India, Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, signed the agreement for the Uttarakhand Integrated and Resilient Urban Development Project, while Takeo Konishi, Country Director, ADB’s India Resident Mission, signed on behalf of ADB.

The initiative addresses the need to improve urban services in Dehradun and Nainital, the fast-growing capital cities of the state that attract thousands of tourists every day. The improved water and sanitation services are expected to promote better hygiene practices. It will in turn help protect people from future pandemic and epidemic diseases. Many innovative solutions such as soak pit reuse and groundwater recharging, bus transportable toilets with gender-sensitive and inclusive design features, rainwater harvesting, compact design and prefabricated sewerage treatment facilities, will improve the project’s climate resilience.

The project will set up a 136-kilometer water pipe system in south Dehradun to replace faulty water networks and offer a stable and continuous water supply for an estimated 40,000 people, including 4,000 urban poor and vulnerable groups. Water meters will be put in around 5400 homes to help with efficient water use and invoicing. In addition, sewage treatment facilities will be built in Dehradun, with 256 km of enclosed underground sewer networks and 117 km of storm water drainage networks benefiting an estimated 1,38,000 households, including 15,000 urban poor and vulnerable individuals. The project will offer resilient and reliable sanitation services to the entire population of roughly 1,54,000 people by replacing the existing sewage treatment plant with a new one employing innovative technology and trunk sewer restoration in Nainital.