The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a US$230 million loan to modernise and expand water supply and sanitation infrastructure in Chennai. Saurabh Singh, Deputy Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), signed on behalf of the Government of India and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, signed for the lender. The engagement was guided by Baldeo Purushartha, Joint Secretary (ADB and Japan), DEA.

The Chennai Climate-Resilient Water Security and Sewerage Project aims to improve access to safe and reliable water and sanitation citywide while strengthening resilience to climate change and improving public health. The project aligns with Government of India urban initiatives including the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 and the Urban Challenge Fund.

Under the project more than 170 km of water supply and sewer pipelines will be constructed and existing assets upgraded to improve network performance. The upgrade will cover seven water pumping stations and 38 sewer pumping stations and will strengthen utility asset and operations management through performance based contracts.

The project will enable Chennai to implement a ring main closed loop plumbing system to maintain balanced water pressure and ensure efficient distribution across service areas. Digital transformation will be supported by real time monitoring and data driven decision making to improve customer responsiveness and operational efficiency.

The initiative will introduce advanced technologies to eliminate hazardous manual sewer inspections, speed up blockage detection and enhance worker safety. It will also prepare water distribution networks in at least two Greater Chennai zones for future investment and strengthen institutional capacity for climate resilient service delivery. ADB’s continued engagement is intended to support integrated approaches to urban water security in India.