ADB Approves USD 125 Mn To Improve Water Supply & Stormwater Systems In Assam

2025-09-23 07:49:10

(MENAFN- KNN India) Dispur, Sep 23 (KNN) The government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a USD 125 million loan agreement to improve urban livability and strengthen climate resilience in six district headquarters and in Guwahati, Assam.

The agreement for the Assam Urban Sector Development Project was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Mio Oka, Country Director, ADB's India Resident Mission.

The project is expected to benefit around 360,000 residents by providing continuous metered water supply, upgrading stormwater management systems, and strengthening urban governance through reforms and capacity-building initiatives.

Planned investments include the construction of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and the installation of 800 km of distribution pipelines in Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Nalbari.

A real-time monitoring system will also be deployed to keep nonrevenue water losses below 20 percent.

In Guwahati, the project will focus on improving stormwater management in the Bahini Basin through flood diversion channels, upgraded drainage systems, and a nature-based retention pond designed to reduce flood discharge and recharge groundwater.

Institutional strengthening is another key component. The project will establish the Assam State Institute for Urban Development in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, and introduce a GIS-based property tax system, digital water billing, and volumetric tariffs to support financial sustainability and service delivery.

Social inclusion and gender support are integral to the initiative, with planned activities such as training women self-help groups in water operations, offering internships for women students, and conducting school awareness programmes on water, sanitation, and hygiene.

(KNN Bureau)

MENAFN23092025000155011030ID1110098858

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.