US aid for Orissa urban services

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with the Union ministry of urban development, and the Orissa state government to improve water and sanitation service in Orissa.

The Orissa minister of urban development KV Singh Deo recently announced the launch of a series of initiatives that will increase customer access to reliable, basic services in urban areas.

This effort will also support the City Manager's Association of Orissa and facilitate slum improvements in the city of Bhubaneswar.

The Orissa activity is part of an approximately Rs 69.2 crore ($16 million), five-year bilateral collaboration, called the Financial Institutions Reform and Expansion (FIRE-D) project, that addresses urban infrastructure needs in seven Indian states.

India's cities are growing rapidly and infrastructure for clean water and sanitation is already severely stressed or nonexistent, he said.

The co-operative effort follows a decade of joint urban development efforts between the US and India that includes developing debt markets to finance urban improvements.

According to USAID, the focus areas for US technical assistance include water policies on tariffs and ways to curb system losses, upgrades to customer service delivery, and planning for better solid waste and water utility operations.

The strategic partnership between the US and India continues to broaden and deepen through such efforts to share expertise between urban development counterparts from both countries, the minister said.