World Bank approves Rs1,000 crore drinking water project for Kerala

The World Bank has approved in principle the second phase of the Rs1,000 crore Jalanidhi—a drinking water project in Kerala, water resources minister NK Premachandran said here today.

As part of the programme, small-scale water schemes for remote areas in the state would be implemented in five years, he told reporters here.

A team from the World Bank Planning Mission would visit Kerala by this year end and hold talks with local body representatives, he said, adding that three lakh families belonging to around 300 panchayats in the state would be benefitted by the scheme.

Another scheme would be implemented as part of the Municipal/ panchayat empowerment programme, which had already been approved by the World Bank, he said.