The project will also help pilot this approach in three coastal states Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal through a range of complementary local pilot investments in select coastal stretches to support state-level capacity building.

“Among others, the project will support the mapping and delineation of hazard lines and ecologically sensitive areas, setting up a world-class national centre for sustainable coastal zone management, preparation of integrated coastal zone management plans, each of which will be crucial to serve the long-term interests of the country,” says Tapas Paul, World Bank Senior Environment Specialist and Project team leader.

The Karnataka rural water supply and sanitation project is part of a long-term programme of World Bank support to the Karnataka’s efforts to increase rural communities’ access to improved and sustainable drinking water and sanitation services. The project has already brought clean drinking water to about five million people, taking the number of households having private water supply connections from 12 percent to 47 per cent in the project villages.