New Delhi, 21 August (H.S.): The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $230 million loan agreement to modernise water supply and sanitation infrastructure in Chennai.

According to the Ministry, negotiations between the Government of India and the ADB for finalising the loan were held under the supervision of Baldev Purusharth, Joint Secretary (ADB and Japan) in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance. Saurabh Singh, Deputy Secretary in the DEA, signed the loan documents on behalf of the Government of India, while Mio Oka, Country Director of the ADB’s India Resident Mission, signed on behalf of the multilateral development bank.

The project will strengthen water supply and sanitation infrastructure across the Greater Chennai region and is expected to benefit approximately 4.5 million people.

Project Scope and Infrastructure

According to the Ministry of Finance, the project will involve the construction of more than 170 kilometres of water supply and sewerage pipelines. In addition, seven water pumping stations and 38 sewer pumping stations in Chennai will be upgraded.

The measures are aimed at providing more reliable, safe and climate-resilient water and sanitation services to meet the needs of the city’s growing population.

The ADB approved the loan agreement on July 3. The project is aligned with India’s urban infrastructure initiatives, particularly AMRUT 2.0 and the Urban Challenge Fund.

The Asian Development Bank has previously supported several urban infrastructure projects in India, contributing to efforts to strengthen essential services and improve urban resilience.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar