Urgent Call for Strengthened Funding in Urban Water Infrastructure

A parliamentary panel has highlighted a significant financing gap in the country's urban water infrastructure under AMRUT 2.0. The panel emphasized the need for long-term strategy and a comprehensive national assessment of urban water supply requirements, extending until 2047, to secure future water needs.

A parliamentary panel has sounded the alarm on a substantial financing gap in the nation's urban water infrastructure, urging immediate measures to bolster funding and operations under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0.

The committee highlighted the importance of long-term planning and called on the Union Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry to evaluate additional financial needs based on demand projections and growth patterns through 2047. Chaired by Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, the panel assessed financial investments under AMRUT 1.0 and 2.0 compared to estimates from a 2011 expert committee.

The existing funding covers only about half the projected requirement for 2012-2031. The committee recommends a thorough state-level investment assessment and a national urban drinking water demand projection for the next 25-30 years, considering factors like population growth and climate resilience, to formulate a 'National Urban Water Security Strategy.'

(With inputs from agencies.)