Rapid urbanisation has created housing shortfall in Tamil Nadu, says Konishi
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed two US$275 million loans with the Indian Government to support housing for the urban poors in Tamil Nadu and help improve access to safe and affordable drinking water supply and citywide inclusive sanitation services in Dehradun and Nainital, Uttarakhand.
“Rapid urbanization and growth in Tamil Nadu has created a housing shortfall particularly for low-income households,” said Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, who signed the loans on behalf of ADB on 7 Dec 2021.
The Tamil Nadu project, for which ADB is providing US$150 million loan, will provide access to affordable housing infrastructure and services to vulnerable and disadvantaged households and catalyze private sector investment in affordable housing, he added.
The project is aligned with the Government of India’s development priorities and policies on urban sector development, particularly the flagship program PMAY-Housing for All (Urban), and will address housing shortage among poor urban dwellers in Tamil Nadu with provision of housing to eligible families, said Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs after signing the two loan agreements for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Housing for Urban Poor Sector Project in Tamil Nadu.
Nearly half of Tamil Nadu’s 72 million population lives in urban areas making it one of the most urbanized states in India. Through the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board, the project will construct housing units in nine different locations and relocate about 6,000 households vulnerable to natural hazards to safer locations.
It will also help Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Town and Country Planning develop regional plans to map the state’s economic and infrastructure development including affordable housing, environmental protection, disaster risk management and gender.
A portion of ADB’s assistance will be invested by the state government as equity into the Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund to catalyze private sector financing and support investments mainly in industrial housing and working women’s hostels for low-income and migrant workers.
In addition, ADB will provide a US$1.5 million technical assistance (TA) grant from its Technical Assistance Special Fund to support the capacity building of government agencies responsible for delivering affordable housing and regional planning in Tamil Nadu. The TA will document successful approaches to affordable housing delivery, including the graduation programme for vulnerable relocated beneficiaries, that can be adopted in other cities and countries.
After signing the second US$125 million loan agreement for Uttrakhand cities, Mishra said that the project addresses the need for upgrading urban services in the fast-expanding capital city of Dehradun and Nainital which attracts thousands of tourists daily.
Mishra said that the improved water and sanitation services will also promote better hygiene practices that will help protect people from future pandemic and epidemic diseases.
Many innovative solutions like soak pit reuse and utilization for groundwater recharging, bus mobile toilets with gender-sensitive and inclusive design features, rainwater harvesting, and compact design and pre-fabricated sewerage treatment facilities will enhance climate resilience of the project.
The project will construct 136 km of water pipe system to replace defective water networks in South Dehradun to ensure reliable and continuous water supply to benefit an estimated 40,000 people, including 4,000 urban poor and vulnerable groups. Water meters will also be installed in about 5,400 households to support efficient water use and consumption billing.
In addition, the project will establish sewage treatment plants in Dehradun, supported by 256 km of enclosed underground sewer networks and 117 km of storm water drainage networks benefiting an estimated 138,000 residents, including 15,000 urban poor and vulnerable people. A total of 17,410 households in Dehradun will be connected to this sewerage system.
Replacing the aging sewage treatment plant with a new one using advanced technology, and trunk sewer rehabilitation in Nainital, the project will ensure resilient and reliable sanitation services to the entire population of about 154,000 people.
ADB will provide a US$250,000 technical assistance (TA) grant from its Technical Assistance Special Fund and another US$750,000 grant from its Climate Change Fund to further strengthen climate-resilient urban planning and development of the state by carrying out a thorough assessment, supporting science-based decision making, developing smart climate resilient urban planning tools, and capacity-building activities. fiinews.com
