To enhance solid waste management and sanitation across 100 cities in eight States, the Asian Development Bank or ADB and India have signed a USD 200 million loan deal.
The agreement, titled Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0-Comprehensive Municipal Waste Management in Indian Cities Program, was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission.
Juhi Mukherjee stressed that the program aligns with the objectives of the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission-Urban 2.0, aiming to improve infrastructure for sanitation and solid waste management, including waste segregation, collection, and disposal.
“This program is guided by lessons derived from ADB’s experience in urban infrastructure development across several states and will incorporate international best practices, new digital technologies, and mainstream climate- and disaster-resilient approaches in municipal solid waste management to promote a clean environment free from garbage and pollution,” said Oka.
Oka highlighted the program’s focus on strengthening women’s participation in sanitation and service delivery and encouraging private sector involvement.
According to the agreement, ADB’s support will be directed towards upgrading and establishing solid waste processing and management facilities such as bio-methanation plants, composting plants, managed landfills, material recovery facilities, and plastic waste processing facilities.
The program will also support the construction of community toilets and urinals and the procurement of sweeping equipment. These initiatives will incorporate climate- and disaster-resilient, gender equality, and social inclusion-responsive features.
The program aims to build the capacity of urban local bodies in waste management and sanitation, encourage peer-to-peer learning, and engage proactively with the private sector. It will facilitate annual reviews and progress updates of citywide solid waste and sanitation action plans. Training and awareness campaigns for sanitation workers and communities will be conducted to improve waste segregation and collection practices.
In addition to the loan, ADB will provide an additional USD 3.15 million technical assistance grant from its Urban Resilience Trust Fund, Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, and the Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund. This grant will support program implementation, capacity building for financial management and monitoring in selected states, and the facilitation of twinning or city-to-city partnerships.
