Experts address water access in India

Population growth and increasing urbanisation in Indian towns and cities is putting pressure on existing facilities, especially the water supplies. At the moment, 89 per cent of the urban Indian population has access to safe drinking water, but only 34 per cent has access to sewerage facilities.

A workshop held in Jaipur, India between 15 and 16 October 2007 addressed these concerns and looked at enhancing collaboration between the public and private sectors in order to improve water supplies and sanitation facilities.

The event was organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the Finance and Urban Development Ministries in India. The workshop aimed to provide an opportunity for Indian government officials and experts advising the ministries to discuss ways to improve water services in urban areas.

Experts from the Singapore Public Utilities Board, Manila Water Company based in the Philippines, Wide Bay Water in Australia, Thames Water UK and KPMG, also from the UK, examined ways to develop effective water management.

Jacqueline Wilson, Director of the Governance and Institutional Development Division at the Secretariat said: “It was felt that unless the key stakeholders and decision-makers are brought in from the inception, we may not achieve the desired development and policy outcomes.”

Over 70 participants, including Pratap Singh Singhvi, Minister for Urban Development and Housing in the Government of Rajasthan, mayors, deputy mayors and other senior Indian government officials, discussed methods to increase successful partnerships between the public and private sectors.

The workshop aimed to raise awareness among decision-makers in state governments across India on the potential benefits of Private Sector Participation (PSP) and Public Private Partnerships (PPP).

“PSP/PPP seeks to fuse the skills, expertise and experience of the public and private sectors to deliver high service standards to customers,” added Srinivas Sampath, an Adviser on Public Private Partnerships at the Secretariat.

In his keynote address the Rajasthan Minister, Mr Singhvi, stated: “The infrastructure requirement for the state of Rajasthan is in the region of 25 billion rupees [about £803 million]. In order to meet this objective, we will have to consider innovative options, like PPPs, to deliver basic services to the people.”

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• Country Profile: India