India : Municipal Financing Requirements - Water, Sewerage, and Solid Waste

Abstract

This report presents the main results from cost models that were developed as an input to the High Powered Expert Committee on Urban Development in order to estimate the investment, operations, and maintenance requirements for urban water, sanitation and municipal solid waste in India. The cost models are designed as tools that allow linking the various building blocks of the cost estimation to one another, and tests the impact of the main model assumptions on the overall investment requirements. A cross-country comparison is also conducted to benchmark the key service standards adopted in the models against international experience. The report addresses the challenge of India's fast growing urban population and the high backlog in urban service delivery. Infrastructure deficits in urban areas are large and growing. Universal water access for urban population in India has yet to be realized. The report uses the cost models to discuss India's municipal financing needs, urban water supply services, urban sewerage services, municipal solid waste, and investment needs.