Karnataka govt to seek Rs 3,500-crore loan from World Bank for civic works

Bengaluru: The state government has finalised a proposal to seek a loan of Rs 3,500 crore from the World Bank for water supply, stormwater drains, sewerage systems as well as flood management. Officials said the approval might come soon.

While the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has sought Rs 1,000 crore, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has requested another Rs 2,000 crore. A sum of Rs 500 crore has been sought by the Revenue Department.

Construction of nine sewage treatment plants, laying 400 km of sewer network lines and pumping stations, building 173 km of stormwater retaining walls, fortifying 80 km of old stormwater walls are some of the projects proposed by both the BBMP and BWSSB.

The Revenue Department's Rs 500-crore request is for the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority and Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.

Both the BWSSB and BBMP do not have a record of making the best use of its grants. While the BWSSB continues to let sewage into almost every lake and stormwater drain in the city, the BBMP has failed in cleaning encroachments of waterbodies.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Mahithi Hakku Adhyayana Kendra stated that the 2021 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had highlighted deficiencies in execution of projects involving re-modelling of stormwater drains.