Chennai water infra: Govt of India, Asian Development Bank sign $230 million agreement
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $230 million loan agreement to upgrade Chennai’s water supply and sanitation infrastructure.
The Chennai Climate-Resilient Water Security and Sewerage Project is aimed at improving access to dependable water and sanitation services while helping the city cope with climate-related challenges. The initiative is also expected to strengthen public health, improve living standards and support a more efficient and financially sustainable water utility.
The agreement was signed by Saurabh Singh, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Centre, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission.
The project is aligned with major urban development programmes, including AMRUT 2.0 and the Urban Challenge Fund.
More than 170 km of new water supply and sewerage pipelines will be constructed. The project will also upgrade seven water pumping stations and 38 sewer pumping stations. Utility assets will be strengthened and operational management improved through performance-linked contracts.
A major component is the proposed ring-main water distribution network. Chennai is expected to become the first Indian city to adopt this closed-loop arrangement, which is designed to maintain more consistent water pressure and distribute supplies more efficiently across different areas.
The system is also intended to make the network more resilient to natural hazards while improving the reliability and fairness of water distribution