NEW DELHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned about Rs 770 crore loan to fund safe drinking water and sanitation project in Himachal Pradesh. 

ADB announced the financing on Saturday as part of the Himachal Pradesh Rural Drinking Water Improvement and Livelihood Project. It said that while more than 90% of the rural population in the state has access to drinking water, the water delivery infrastructure is old and deteriorating, resulting in inefficient and poor service quality.

The ADB project will connect 75,800 houses to the service, ensuring continuous water delivery to around 370,000 persons spread over ten districts. "The project matches the objectives of the Jal Jeevan Mission, a national flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at providing piped water to all rural households by 2024," said Jude Kohlhase, ADB Unit Head of Project Administration on Urban Development and Water for South Asia.

The project would improve water supply infrastructure and develop institutional ability to guarantee safe, sustainable, and inclusive rural water supply and sanitation services. The project will also boost water supply and sanitation services by building 48 groundwater wells, 80 surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, and 3,000 kilometres of water distribution pipelines, it said.

It further stated that a trial fecal sludge management and sanitation scheme will be developed in Sirmaur district, benefiting 250,000 persons and determining replicability and guiding the design of subsequent initiatives.

The initiative will develop the capability of the Himachal Pradesh government's 'Jal Shakti Vibhag' and gram panchayat (local government) village water and sanitation committees to guarantee efficient service delivery and sustainability. It will assist the state government's water tariff policy revisions and will implement a state-level asset management system as well as district asset management plans.

Water management training will be provided to key project stakeholders and community-based organisations, as well as life skills training for women self-help groups. The initiative would also enhance public knowledge about the health advantages of improved water supply, sanitation, and hygiene habits, ADB said.

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