The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan of US$363 million to the state of Karnataka to supply two million rural households with clean drinking water from taps in their homes.
About 77 per cent of Karnataka’s area is arid or semi-arid and remains vulnerable to drought and floods due to climate-change-induced changes in rainfall patterns, a World Bank statement said on Wednesday. There is scarcity of ground water in this area and the quality of water is also continuously deteriorating.
“The ‘Karnataka Sustainable Rural Water Supply Programme’ will support the Karnataka government’s ambition of providing tap water connection to every rural household in the state,” the statement said. This will include construction of water meters and installation of water meters in rural houses and will benefit about one crore people in all 31 districts of the state.
“Gender equality is at the heart of our cooperation to bring piped water to all rural households in India,” said Auguste Tano Koume, World Bank Country Director for India. It will enhance the capacity of rural local administrations to effectively manage water supply services. This will especially benefit women as the responsibility of fetching water rests with them. This will improve their health and give them opportunities to get education and more time for jobs.
