ADB approves $150m loan for irrigation and water management in India

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted a $150m loan for the Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources Management Investment Programme in India.

Expected to continue until 2021, the state programme will be carried out in two phases and intends to offer a solution for inefficient usage of water in agriculture.

The loan facility will help the Indian state to draw a plan for managing strained water resources in chief river basins, which is likely to benefit 1.5 million people.

Besides planning for river basin management, the project will also fund training for staff at the state Water Resources Department, Advanced Centre for Integrated Water Resources Management, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam and other water user cooperatives.

The first phase will involve modernisation of the Gondi irrigation system, while the second phase will aim to improve irrigation facilities in Vijaynagara canals and the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal.

Around $31m from the ADB funds has been earmarked for the first project, while the rest will be used for the second.

ADB Regional and Sustainable Development Department principal water specialist Yasmin Siddiqi said: "Inefficient irrigation, rising demand from urban and industrial users, and climate change pose a serious threat to future water supplies, and a full plan to manage all aspects of water use is needed to ensure the state has enough water to support families, farms and businesses."

The project is expected to improve irrigation efficiency in the state, thereby leading to water savings of 1,700 million cubic metres, which can be used for 160,000ha of farmland.