The Times of India 13.03.2013
Three water supply projects to get JICA boost
HYDERABAD: The water woes of residents of Alwal, Uppal and Qutubullapur municipal circles may soon end.
Currently, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board
(HMWS&SB) is supplying 20 million gallons (MG) of water to these
three circles once in three/four days a week as the groundwater level
here has dipped to new lows. In June and September 2010, two
fact-finding missions from the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) had visited 11 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)
peripheral circles and conducted a study on water supply position. On
their advice, the Water Board had even prepared ‘detailed project
reports’ (DPRs) with a budget proposal of Rs 3,195 crore for
implementation of water supply projects in these 11 circles and submitted them to JICA.
“The Water Board had been carrying out correspondence with JICA
for the past two years on the issue. However, the proposal was kept in
abeyance as the state government had not come forward to provide debt
sustainability. The proposal came forth again after a team from JICA
visited the city last month and reviewed pending projects,” Water Board
managing director J Syamala Rao told TOI.
“During the meeting,
we explained to the team that the government was keen on providing debt
sustainability for the water supply project in peripheral areas.
Accordingly, JICA gave in-principle agreement to extend the loan only
for three GHMC circles,” the MD said.
When contacted, principal secretary, municipal administration and urban
development (MA&UD) department, B Sam Bob said: “JICA will not
accept properties (as collateral). The government has to submit debt
sustainability on behalf of the Water Board. As the government is
according top priority to drinking water projects, we will soon get the
necessary clearances for the proposal.”
As per the DPRs, the
government might get Rs 1,032 crore loan from JICA – Rs 300 crore for
Alwal, Rs 510 crore for Qutubullapur and Rs 222 crore for Uppal – in the
first phase. “Once the loan is sanctioned, we will float tenders for
taking up the projects,” a senior Water Board (projects) official said.
If all goes well, the three peripheral GHMC circles would get better
water supply by 2014.
