Bihar plans Rs 670 cr ADB scheme for Gaya town infra

For execution of water supply, sewerage and waste water management of Gaya town in Bihar, the State Urban Development Department has prepared a Rs 670 crore scheme. Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to be approached for funds for the scheme's execution, the State government has stated. An official letter sent by the Urban Development Secretary S Sidhartha, Rs 290 crore are required for the water supply scheme, another Rs 290 crore for sewerage and Rs 90 crore for waste water management.

The letter has been addressed to Anupam Suman, Managing Director, Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation.

Detailed Project Report (DPR) for both the schemes is ready, according to the letter. It may be recalled that Gaya has been facing perennial water crisis. Less than 40 per cent of the estimated 60,000 municipal holdings have access to tap water and the remaining 60 per cent plus people have to depend on private sources of groundwater to cater to their water requirements.

On account of indiscriminate withdrawal of groundwater and high incidence of rig boring and insertion of submersible pumps to get groundwater, the water-table of the town has registered a steep decline.

Over a dozen colonies developed during the last three decades have no access to municipal water. ADB experts, who surveyed Falgu to assess water storage in its sub- surface bowl like formation, earlier, backed out of any Falgu-centric long-term scheme for water supply, as Falgu is not in a position to cater to the ever growing water requirements of the town.