India – Karnataka Water Supply – $100 Million For Modernization

Panoramic View of Hubli City from Nrupatunga Hill (Syed Zohaibullah [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

The second largest urban center in Karnataka, Hubballi-Dharwad, will modernize its water supply. With the support of a $100 Million loan from the World Bank, it will become one of the first cities in India with a citywide, continuous, piped water supply. The Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project (KUWSMP) will help to provide water for one million inhabitants of the city and 160,000 slum dwellers. Also pilot projects in selected wards in the cities of Belagavi,  Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad will be funded.

There is no city in India which supplies water to its citizens 24 hours a day. Water is provided for just a few hours a day for most of the people in India. Only 50 percent in most cities have a household connection to the water network. The poor are not connected at all, while paying higher prices to buy fresh water from private vendors. Waiting at public water taps takes hours.

Karnataka Water Supply – A cheap rate for poorer households will make the water deliveries affordable

Physical investments for the twin cities and the procedures and systems strengthening to close current water service delivery gaps sustainably are part of the project financing. A professional water supply operating company supports the government to improve the water supply system. According to strict performance criteria, they also manage the refurbished system through a 12-year contract. The municipality remains the owner of all assets and supervises the service delivery set up. In accordance with guidelines laid down by the state Government of Karnataka, the tariff-settings will be controlled by the municipality. A cheap rate for poorer households will make the water deliveries affordable.

“The Government of Karnataka has laid down strict contractual provisions to hold the operating company accountable for improving levels of service to customers, whilst at the same time providing incentives to ensure that the improvements are achieved and sustained in the most cost-effective manner and do not strain the city’s finances,” said Bill Kingdom, Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist and the project’s task team leader for the World Bank.  “In parallel, the Project will help the city of Hubballi-Dharwad establish institutions and financing mechanisms that will support sustainability of water services to the city in the long term.”

Karnataka Water Supply Around The Clock

Further information: World Bank