Water projects: CM seeks ADB assistance

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has requested the technical and financial assistance of ADB for restoring and re..

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has requested the technical and financial assistance of ADB for restoring and rehabilitating the water resources in Kerala. He was inaugurating the Tripartite Portfolio Review Meeting (TPRM) of Asian Development Bank-assisted projects held here on Friday.
"Though Kerala gets sufficient rainfall, within hours the water flows to the sea because of its terrain. In coastal areas water available is saline water and therefore shortage of drinking water. Rain water harvesting and check dam can help in storing the water and charging the ground water table. 'Water For All' being the theme of ADB, the State is interested to get the technical and financial aid from the ADB, he said.Referring to the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), the major project undergoing in the state with ADB assistance, Chandy said his government was committed to ensuring the timely completion of the project. "I would however request the ADB to keep in mind the fact that there are often local conditions which sometimes lead to unavoidable delays in implementation, despite the best of intentions and efforts of local authorities. While overall guidelines and policies have to be followed, these must be implemented with a sense of pragmatism and understanding of the constraints on the part of the implementing authorities, said Chandy.

He also requested the Department of Economic Affairs and ADB to reconsider some of ADB's charges and how these can be kept to the least minimum for borrowers, especially since repayment of these loans are the responsibility of borrowing state governments.

It calls for a close Governmentindustryprivate sector linkage at every stage of infrastructure development. There is urgent need for the State Government, Central Government and private sector to work in tandem with the goal of evolving a new model of development, said Chandy.