The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $81 million loan to finance an infrastructure upgrade project, called Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment Program (AUIIP), in Assam.
The first tranche of the project, which is a $200 million multi-tranche finance facility, aims at providing clean, piped water to about 350,000 residents of Guwahati, as well as upgrading wastewater treatment and urban transport in the city. The project also aims to improve solid waste management and drainage infrastructure in Dibrugarh town, situtated in Upper Assam.
“Major growth in these cities in recent years has put serious pressure on basic services. Guwahati, for example, currently has no sewage system and more than two-thirds of its population has no access to piped water. This project will make the city’s living conditions much more bearable,” stated a ADB press statement quoting Hun Kim, country director for ADB’s India Resident Mission.
The project’s urban transport component includes development of a 10 km rapid transit corridor for buses in Guwahati, which is expected to serve more than 40,000 people daily, shorten travel time and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“The water supply subproject will significantly augment supply and improve the quality of drinking water and wastewater treatment. Environmentally safe disposal of sewage and solid waste will help reduce water-borne diseases and improve public hygiene and health,” said Venu Rajamony, joint secretary in the department of economic affairs at the ministry of finance, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Centre.
ADB has helped the Assam government to draw a 10-year road map for developing urban services and the program prosposes to support the state’s overall investment plans. The water supply upgrade in south-eastern Guwahati will complement improvements being carried out elsewhere in the city funded by the state government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICO).
In Dibrugarh, solid waste collection coverage will increase to more than 80 per cent of households and will include recycling. Drainage in the city will be improved by removing waste from waterways and by widening and rebuilding flood relief culverts, bridges and sluice gates. Besides, a new treatment plant, pipes and pumping stations will be built in Guwahati.
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Linked technical assistance will also help lay the groundwork for reforms to turn the Guwahati Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board into a sustainable, autonomous body.
The program is due to be completed by December 2017.