Centre approves Shimla drinking water project for WB funding

Shimla, June 29

The Centre has approved a Rs 643 crore drinking water and sewerage project for Shimla town for World Bank funding, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said.

The project would relieve the people of Shimla and adjoining 'Special Planning Area' of chronic water shortage problem and also sewerage connectivity, he said.

The project was approved by Union Finance Ministry during a meeting in New Delhi today which was also attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Irrigation and Public Health P C Dhiman and other concerned officers of the state government.

Singh said the drinking water supply augmentation scheme for Shimla envisaged lifting of water from Koldam project near Tattapani to cater to the needs of the fast growing town for next three decades.

Besides, the water distribution system would also be improved and strengthened to plug leakages and avoid wastage.

The sanitary conditions in the town would be substantially improved by providing sewerage facility to all households, construction of new sewerage treatment plants, improvement of existing treatment plants and rejuvenation of sewerage lines, the chief minister said.

The project would have three components -- augmentation of water supply of Shimla town by lifting water from Kol Dam reservoir, rehabilitation of water supply distribution system, and rejuvenation of sewerage network here, he informed The state would get Rs 514 crore as loan from the World Bank while the remaining amount of Rs 129 crore would be provided by the state government as counterpart funding over a project period of three years.

Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma said that the project would ensure uninterrupted water supply to the town and also help in enhancing the storage capacity and technological upgrading of sewerage treatment plants. — PTI