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24x7 water supply in Chandigarh: MoU signed with French loaning agency
The credit facility agreement (CFA) for the 24x7 water supply project in Chandigarh was signed between the Union department of economic affairs and Agence Francaise De Developpment (AFD) in New Delhi on Wednesday
The credit facility agreement (CFA) for the 24x7 water supply project in Chandigarh was signed between the Union department of economic affairs and Agence Francaise De Developpment (AFD) in New Delhi on Wednesday.
AFD is going to provide ₹413 crore for the project in the form of a loan, which is to be repaid in 15 years. In addition to it, the European Union is also giving a grant of ₹98 crore. This is the first time in the northern region of the country that any city has received this much money from foreign agency for any project.
The project has a financial outlay of ₹591 crore and is expected to be completed by 2027.
“The key objective behind the project is to save ground water in Chandigarh, which is depleting at a rapid pace, especially in the southern region of the city,” said Anindita Mitra, chief executive officer of the Chandigarh Smart City Limited.
“Also, once the 24x7 water supply project gets off the ground, consumers will get round-the-clock water supply without any interruption,” she added.
Other objectives include water resource augmentation through leakage reduction, automatic reading water meters and monitoring of energy consumption.
“The project is now in the initial implementation phase. The expression of interest has already been floated and 17 bidders have participated in the tendering process,” said Mitra.
The project’s implementation has already begun in the city. UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit on November 14 last year laid the foundation stone of the pilot project for Manimajra and and the city-wide expansion will be done in phases.
