KATHMANDU: Asian Development Bank (ADB) today said it will help 30 urban centres in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka improve their water management in order to reduce water-borne diseases.

“Intermittent water supply is the norm in South Asian urban centres. There are no strategies to make water available 24 hours a day. This is one of the most important objectives in urban water management,” the bank said.

Intermittent supply has resulted in water contamination and wastage, unreliable metering and burst pipes, the multilateral lending agency said.

The project is funded by an $850,000 grant from Investment Climate Facilitation Fund established by Japan last year under Regional Cooperation and Integration Financing Partnership Facility.

“Through technical assistance, to 30 urban centres in these South Asian countries will acquire technology and expertise in managing the water sector,” KyeongAe Choe, principal urban development specialist of ADB’s South Asia Department.

The technical assistance will determine geographical and population coverage of service areas in the chosen centres, assess if drinking water supply complies with acceptable quality standards and also if waste water management affects the quality of groundwater, aquifers and other water sources.

The project will also determine the levels of non-revenue water, operational efficiencies, and operations management system of the select urban centres, ADB said.