World Bank And Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Support Punjab Drinking Water

The Punjab government has announced that the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have approved financing for two water treatment projects to meet the growing needs of the holy city of Amritsar and the industrial hub of Ludhiana.

The banks’ co-financing of $210 Million USD will be supplemented by government participation of up to $90 Million USD. Each project consists of construction of water treatment facilities and supply reservoirs at the main source of drinking water for the respective city.

Currently, the cities are sourcing poor quality drinking water through tube wells that have been over-exploited. The projects will replace the tube wells with water treatment facilities for surface water and reservoir storage in order to offer a continuous supply.

The projects have been designed to meet the water demand for 30 years and meet the needs of each city’s growing population. It is estimated that Amritsar’s population will increase from the current 14.5 million to approximately 22 million in 2055. Likewise, Ludhiana is expected to expand from a current 21 million to almost 30 million by 2055.