NDB water project brings hope to rural people in India

NEW DELHI－A rural water supply project funded by the New Development Bank, or BRICS bank, is progressing well in the difficult terrains of India's northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, bringing hope to over half a million people suffering from water woes.

Himachal Pradesh lacks sustainable infrastructure for rural water supply. Hilly and difficult terrain makes the task more challenging.

The NDB said around 42 percent of habitations in the state have limited access to clean drinking water and are classified as partially covered for water supply. The nonavailability of reliable water supply also means the rural population has to spend up to two hours fetching and storing water.

The NDB's loan of $80 million was sanctioned in December, and the project has already received reimbursement of its first installment worth around 330 million Indian rupees ($4.25 million).

The total estimated cost of the project is $100 million. The remaining $20 million is to be borne by the Indian side.

The soft loan has been provided to the Indian government, which in turn has been passed on to the Himachal Pradesh state government. The loan is to be repaid in 20 years, with an additional five-year "grace period".

The project is to be completed within 44 months, including six "grace months".

It is to benefit people living in as many as 1,255 villages across eight districts.

The locals are upbeat about the project, hoping that their longstanding water woes would be resolved soon.

Raman, a resident of Makroli village, told Xinhua that the water supply in his home has been erratic ever since he was born.

Regular supply

"Since my childhood, I have never seen regular water supply in my home. I hope this scheme funded by the NDB will ensure regular water supply to us," said Raman, who did not reveal his full name.

Sushil Justa, engineer-in-chief of the project, said the NDB-funded rural water project would prove to be beneficial for the inhabitants in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh.

Justa said the NDB has been helping with the funding of water supply projects. "The NDB has funded 24 water supply schemes in eight districts of Himachal," he said.

Headquartered in Shanghai, the NDB was established by BRICS nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bank formally opened in July 2015.

BR Deepak, professor of Chinese and China studies at India's Jawaharlal Nehru University, praised the NDB as playing an extremely important role in developing hard and social infrastructure across BRICS countries.

Xinhua