The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $101 million loan to help rural areas in West Bengal get safe drinking water where arsenic, fluoride, and salt contaminated local sources.
The money adds to a project that started in 2018 with $240 million. It will help build new safe water sources in Purba Medinipur district and fund plans for a new drinking water system in salt-affected areas of South 24 Parganas. ADB Urban Specialist Sourav Majumder said the funding helps “expand access to piped water supply systems” and reduces communities’ use of contaminated groundwater.
The project has made good progress in three districts—Bankura, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur. Workers built four water treatment plants, 79 storage reservoirs, and about 6,200 kilometers of pipes. The program uses an approach that delivers continuous water service at higher standards than most rural areas in India get. Key features include 390,000 metered household connections and smart water management systems.
The new money will also help local governing bodies called gram panchayats manage water services better. They’ll get training and guidelines for things like metering, setting prices, and staffing. This approach gets water to the last mile and empowers local communities, especially women, through training programs.
West Bengal has serious water problems that affect millions of rural people. Arsenic and fluoride in groundwater make people sick when they drink it. Salt contamination in coastal areas creates more problems for water systems. The ADB project tackles these issues by providing safe alternatives and building systems that last.
The extra funding shows ADB’s commitment to supporting growth across Asia and the Pacific. By scaling up proven innovations and helping local communities manage their own water services, the project creates a model that other places can use for their own water problems.
