World Bank to give PBIG to 7 urban local authorities in West Bengal

The Performance Based Incentive Grant (PBIG) from the World Bank is scheduled to be awarded to seven urban local authorities in Bengal for the continued improvement of their infrastructure for the management of solid waste, liquid waste, and faecal sludge. The Second National River Ganga Basin Project (SNRGBP) will be responsible for administering the award. A senior official of the state's Urban Development and Municipal Affairs (UD & MA) department said, Our dedicated effort in management of solid waste, liquid waste, and faecal sludge through various interventions have been acknowledged by World Bank and they have thus decided to give us a grant for further revamp of the infrastructure of waste management. Five municipalities namely Champdani and Bhadreshwar in Hooghly, Santipur and Chakdah in Nadia, and Garulia in North 24-Parganas have already been approved for grants worth Rs 110 million. Maheshtala in South 24-Parganas and Haldia in East Midnapore are the other two municipalities that are applying for the PBIG funding. Electric crematoria, a faecal sludge treatment facility, and gobar gas facilities will be built from this grant. Among the five states through which the River Ganga runs, Bengal was expected to finish the most sewage treatment plants (STPs) in 2022, according to department sources. Seven projects have seen the completion of about 17 STPs. In Bengal, sewage production is thought to be around 4200 MLD, of which 2758 MLD is produced in the city and 1400 MLD in the countryside. To accommodate the demand for sewage, further STPs are being built, bringing the total number of operating STPs, including East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) and primary treatment facilities, to 47. 910 MLD are treated at East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), which is regarded as Kolkata's lungs and kidneys. Bengal provides services to 78 MLD in private STPs.