The Asian Development Bank has approved a $101 million loan to boost access to safe drinking water in rural West Bengal, supplementing an existing project aimed at reducing reliance on contaminated groundwater sources in the Indian state.
The additional financing supports the ongoing West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project, which initially launched in 2018 with a $240 million investment. The new funds will scale up efforts in districts affected by arsenic, fluoride and salinity, ADB said in a statement on Monday.
Contaminated and Underserved Areas
The funding will help develop alternative water sources in Purba Medinipur district and support new water supply proposals for salinity-hit regions of South 24 Parganas and unserved parts of Purba Medinipur.
“The new financing builds on the innovative practices of the ongoing project and aims to expand access to piped water supply systems, reducing communities’ reliance on contaminated groundwater,” said Sourav Majumder, ADB’s urban specialist.
He added that the initiative would prioritize last-mile delivery and community empowerment, particularly for women, through inclusive infrastructure and capacity-building efforts.
Innovative Water Supply Model
The project introduced a new model for rural water supply featuring 24/7 delivery standards that exceed typical benchmarks in India.
It includes over 390,000 metered household connections and integrates advanced technologies such as supervisory control and data acquisition systems and GIS-based monitoring.
Progress to date includes the construction of four water treatment plants, 79 storage reservoirs, and approximately 6,200 kilometers of distribution pipelines across Bankura, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur districts.
ADB said the fresh loan will also fund the rollout of the Asset Management and Service Delivery Framework, which enables gram panchayats — local governing bodies — to manage water services and enforce operational sustainability measures, including metering and tariff setting.
Founded in 1966 and owned by 69 member countries, ADB supports inclusive and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific.
Also Read:
India and ADB Partner on $50M Water Harvesting Initiative in Meghalaya
