Pact inked to improve drinking water supply, sanitation in 5 towns of Himachal

Shimla, March 21

To improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns, a Rs. 817.12 crore MoU was signed by the state government with a French development agency, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD).

The MoU was signed by Secretary Jal Shakti Vibhag Amitabh Awasthi and country Director AFD Bruno Bosle on behalf of French Development Agency. Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri were also present on the occasion.

The objective of the project is to develop better sewerage facilities in five towns of the state viz. Manali, Bilaspur, Palampur, Nahan and Karsog and to improve drinking water supply in Manali and Palampur towns.

Under the project, Rs 612 crore would be provided by the AFD, whereas the state government would provide Rs 204.85 crore, said the Chief Minister. “The beneficiaries would receive house service connections in these five cities and the sewerage treatment plant would be designed with the cutting-edge technologies, so that the effluent could be reused for agricultural and industrial purposes,” Sukhu added.

He said the aim of the project was to improve environmental condition of water sources, reduce water-borne diseases, manage quality sanitation facilities in accordance with local regulations and best practices and bring financial sustainability to the drinking water and sanitation sector.

Of Rs 425.85 crore in the first phase, Rs 340 crore would be financed by the AFD. In the Phase-II, the AFD would provide Rs 272 crore of the total project cost of Rs 371 crore, said Sukhu. The implementation period of the project was three years and Phase-II will begin 18 months after the commencement of Phase-I.