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Add to Preferred SourcesThe World Bank will help the Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) bring clean and reliable drinking water to the citizens of the greater Shimla area, who have been facing severe water shortages and water-borne epidemics over the last few years.
The Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the $40 million Shimla Water Supply and Sewerage Service Delivery Reform Programmatic Development Policy Loan 1 to improve water supply and sanitation (WSS) services in and around the iconic hill city of Shimla.
Growing urbanization and a heavy tourist load in the summer months place huge demands on the city’s aging water supply infrastructure. Its capacity of 40 million liters daily (MLD) is unable to meet the current demand of 56 MLD. As elsewhere in urban India, around half the available water is lost to leakages and unauthorized siphoning. As a result, the water supply reaches citizens only once in two days and for limited hours. With at least 30-40% of the city’s population of around 200,000 not covered by the sewerage system, sanitation has also emerged as a public health issue in Shimla.
The Bank-supported project, the first in a series of three development policy loans (DPL), will support the GoHP’s program of policy and institutional reform needed to bring continuous, pressurized (24×7) water supply, efficient sewage collection and treatment for all households in the Greater Shimla Area.
The World Bank will improve WSS services in the state capital: (i) bringing bulk water to Shimla from a new source on the Sutlej River; (ii) 24×7 water supply and sewage management for Shimla City and; (iii) sewage services for peri-urban areas. It will also support capacity building for the Shimla Municipal Corporation to take on its new role of oversight.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 16 January 2019