ADB $300 Million to Fund Overhaul of Ageing Water, Sewer Systems in Colombo
Nov 19, 2012
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing $300 million in loans to overhaul the quality, coverage, and management of water and wastewater services in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.
“Parts of Colombo’s water supply distribution network are over 100 years old and some areas only get water for less than half the day, while the sewer network suffers from frequent collapses and blockages,” said Mingyuan Fan, Urban Development Specialist in ADB’s South Asia Department. “Our assistance will help the government make water and sanitation services higher quality, cost-effective, and sustainable.”
The multitranche financing facility approved by the ADB Board of Directors will support a $400 million government investment program to improve water and sanitation in greater Colombo. ADB’s first tranche loan of $84 million will focus on reducing water losses in Colombo, which are estimated to cost more than $13 million a year in foregone revenue.
The program aims to make water available 24 hours a day throughout greater Colombo by 2020, with a focus on improving services in underserved areas. It targets a reduction in nonrevenue water losses from nearly 50% in 2012 to about 20% by 2020, and seeks to ensure 100% sewer network coverage by 2020.
ADB’s assistance will be used to repair or replace water transmission and distribution pipes and pumps, install high quality meters, and implement network mapping and leakage controls. It will fund new sewer connections and the construction of two wastewater treatment plants and support measures to strengthen the management and operations of the oversight agencies, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and Colombo Municipal Council.
Providing round-the-clock water supply will especially benefit women, who will be freed up from daily water collection chores for more productive activities. It will also help improve public health, with waterborne diseases expected to be more than halved from current levels by 2024.
ADB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest development partners, extending over half a billion US dollars for water supply and sanitation since 1986. It will provide the assistance in four tranches, using a mix of loans from ordinary capital resources and its concessional Asian Development Fund. The investment program will run for about 8 years, with an expected completion date of December 2020.
More News and Articles
Apr 24, 2024
News
Sustainable drainage solutions: German Start-up transforms urban water management.
Germany boasts a well-established infrastructure for managing rainwater and wastewater, yet many developing countries lack such systems. Addressing this gap, …
Apr 22, 2024
News
HDD tooling that gets the job done
Horizontal directional drilling is a dynamic process that constantly changes and adapts to suit a range of applications across utilities and infrastructure. Operators looking to get the most from their equipment …
Apr 19, 2024
News
WATCH: Overnight with SAERTEX-LINER H20 in São Paulo
Available through Pipe Core, high-quality liner SAERTEX-LINER H20 performed under pressure in São Paulo, Brazil.
Maintaining aging potable water pipe infrastructure is a constant challenge …
Apr 17, 2024
News
Immersive media provides wastewater experience in Denmark
An immersive media experience (IMX) may not be what most people want when they think about industrial wastewater, but that is exactly what visitors can expect when they visit a new installation …
Apr 15, 2024
News
Spotlight on gender diversity at Pipe Core
Since founding in 2008, Pipe Core’s team has grown across all areas of the business and is now in a position where there are more females than males across the organisation. Research published in Harvard …
Apr 12, 2024
News
New Wave of Startups Scale Innovation to Solve Global Water Challenges
Innovators from Around the World Join Xylem’s 2024 Accelerator Program to Deploy Breakthrough Innovations for Utilities and Industrial Users of Water
A new group of startups …
Apr 08, 2024
News
Integrated sustainable electricity and clean drinking water systems
Altitude Water and New Use Energy Solutions have partnered to create integrated, mobile solar-plus-water generation systems that produce sustainable electricity and clean drinking …
Apr 05, 2024
News
How to Evaluate Hydraulic Fracture Risk in HDD Design
The design of horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations often requires an evaluation of the potential for hydraulic fracture of the soil layers through which an HDD passes. Evaluating …
Apr 02, 2024
News
Historic Project Linking Rome and Vatican City Uses Advanced Technology and Local Knowledge to Keep Water Flowing
Relocation of Major Sewer Infrastructure Enables Construction of Pedestrian Link for 35 Million Visitors to the 2025 Jubilee
Water …
Mar 27, 2024
News
USU Study Looks at Water Main Break Rates in the U.S. and Canada
Report Highlights Correlation Between Material and Diameter
Utah State University (USU) has published new research on water main breaks in the United States and Canada, examining …
Mar 26, 2024
News
Update BE-21: New Material in Course and Modules on Trenchless Pipe Installation
Online training on the topic of pipeline installation in civil engineering: Trenchless technology for underground drainage construction can be a resource-efficient, …
Mar 25, 2024
Article
Bacteria as a new weapon in wastewater treatment
In early November, San Diego based startup Aquacycl officially opened its first European office and test center at the Water Campus in Leeuwarden. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) …
Contact
Asian Development Bank
Karen Lane
6 ADB Avenue
1550 Mandaluyong City
Philippines
Phone:
+63 2 632 6138
Fax:
+63 920 938 6487