The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $200 million additional financing for the Rajasthan Secondary Towns Development Sector Project to improve water supply and sanitation systems and support the enhancement of urban resilience and heritage living in India.

According to a release shared by the bank, the ongoing project—earlier approved in September 2020—has so far laid 1,451 kilometres (km) of water supply pipes, 1,110 km of sewer pipes, and connected 68,098 households to water services in selected secondary towns in Rajasthan.

“ADB is committed to supporting the government in addressing complex urban development challenges by providing high-quality urban infrastructure and services and fostering the health and well-being of its residents,” said Na Won Kim, ADB principal urban development specialist for South Asia. “This additional ADB funding will have diversified interventions beyond water supply and sanitation and incorporate various innovative and climate-resilient solutions.”

The loan will improve water supply systems in at least seven project towns by converting all groundwater sources to surface water, replacing about 700 km of leaking water pipes, installing 1,400 km of new water supply pipelines, and providing 77,000 households connections with water meters. It will also establish three new water treatment plants, the release said. Additionally, sanitation systems will be upgraded in at least eight project towns by rehabilitating about 580 km of sewers, building seven sewage treatment plants  and connecting more than 50,000 households to the sewage system.

A new feature of ADB’s support is the water facility development for urban resilience improvement and heritage-sensitive urban development in at least eight heritage towns, which have strong tourism potential.

This includes the reconstruction of water parks and water structures with heritage value incorporating nature-based solutions to improve climate resilience. At least 20 heritage or heritage-like structures will be rehabilitated to improve the living environment and attract more tourists.