The Union Government took a loan of $125 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen the urban services and climate resilience in six district headquarters and Guwahati in Assam.
The Financial Ministry said that the Assam Urban Sector Development Project will help around 3.6 lakh locals, offering a constant metered water supply and enhancing stormwater management systems.Â
Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, signed the loan agreement.Â
The plan of improving infrastructure includes the manufacture of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and about 800 km of allocation pipelines in the district headquarters of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat and Nalbari.
To keep non-revenue water below 20%, a real monitoring system will be deployed.Â
This mission will also create the Assam State Institute for Urban Development in Collaboration with IIT Gwahati and propose a GIS-based property tax database, a digitised water billing system, and a volumetric water tariff structure across project towns to enhance financial sustainability and service delivery.Â
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This project will also work for women’s welfare with a strong aim for inclusion. Self-help groups will be formed to train women in water operations, and they will conduct programmes in colleges and schools to increase awareness about sanitation, water, and hygiene. Also aims to offer internships for college women.Â
