According to the Bank’s website, the ongoing West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project will provide safe, sustainable, and inclusive drinking water services to about 1.65 million people in the arsenic-, fluoride-, and salinity-affected areas of Bankura, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur districts of West Bengal (project districts). It will introduce an innovative institutional framework and advanced technology for smart water management (STWM) to enable efficient service delivery in the project districts. The proposed additional financing (discussion of which is at advanced stage with the GOI) will be utilized for the cost overrun of the ongoing project, and a minor change in scope to (i) secure alternate safe drinking water sources for the project areas in Purba Medinipur, and (ii) prepare a sustainable drinking water supply project proposal for salinity affected areas of South 24 Parganas and unserved areas of Purba Medinipur.

West Bengal face multifaceted problems with rural drinking water security. West Bengal is the fourth most populous state in India and its population is expected to grow from 91.2 million in 2011 to 100.8 million in 2027, with 62.0 million living in rural areas. The state faces serious challenges in water security as it is home to about 72% of India's population-at-risk from arsenic and about 5% of India's population-at-risk from fluoride contamination. The potable drinking water services in the rural areas cover only 51% of the population, compared to the national average of 77%, and have high exposure to arsenic and fluoride contamination due to predominant use of groundwater. The continuous withdrawal of groundwater in Purba Medinipur, one of the state's most salinity-affected districts, results in increased intrusion of salinity in groundwater. The project districts are also vulnerable to climate change and disasters increasing the risks to water supply services.

Environment: B
Involuntary Resettlement: C
Indigenous Peoples: C

The project is Category B for environment and is unlikely to cause significant adverse impact with diligent implementation of the EMP. The Project will have site-specific, short-term, and localized impacts during construction which can be mitigated or minimized to acceptable levels with good construction practices and measures defined in the EMP. Temporary negative impacts during construction include dust and noise, increase in road traffic due to hauling of materials and restriction of access/disturbance due to construction of water supply pipelines along public roads, waste generation and occupation and community health and safety issues.

No involuntary acquisition of private land is anticipated, as all lands proposed for construction of OHSR and GLSR are under government ownership.

Loan (Ordinary capital resources): US$ 101.00 million

No contacts available at the time of disclosure.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

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ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.