By Xinhua,
Singapore : Singapore and India Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on projects that minimize water wastage and improve infrastructure in Indian cities and towns.
The MOU was inked by Singapore’s national water agency PUB and the Indian Maharashtra Water Supply and Sanitation Board at the Singapore International Water Week, a global gathering for the water industry.
The agreement will facilitate collaboration between two sides and promote participation by Singapore-based companies in urban water management in Maharashtra, the second most populous state in India, with major cities such as Mumbai and Pune, said a joint statement.
Areas of cooperation will include leak detection and reduction in unaccounted-for water; water and wastewater treatment and recycling; emerging technologies and best practices in water reuse; the management of urban runoff; management of water supply and demand; and institutional capacity building.
One of the first projects identified under the MOU will transform the intermittent water supply in the town of Ambernath, near Mumbai.
Ambernath’s population of 270,000 has water for only three to four hours a day, and there is 21 percent of unaccounted-for water.
The plan is to introduce a round-the-clock water supply and reduce unaccounted-for water, with the PUB sharing its capabilities in integrated water resource and demand management.
Singapore-based companies such as pipeline rehabilitation specialists Teacly (S) Pte Ltd will work with the Indian government and partner companies on MOU projects.