The World Bank and Govt of India on Tuesday signed a loan agreement to enhance support for the Namami Gange programme that seeks to rejuvenate the River Ganga.

Water availability is an issue that has long persisted. Since the gap between demand and supply of safe drinking water is going to increase with rapid urbanisation, there is a need to evolve several water supply methods, schemes and processes.

To address the ever-growing traffic congestion menace in the capital, the government has decided to decongest the city with a six-lane project worth Rs 28.20 billion.

Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN) will install Geographical Information System (GIS) and Management Information System for the city under the Ganga Action Plan-II. The project is part of the institutional development program, financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In an interview to INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY, Raj Kalady, Country Director, Project Management Institute (PMI), describes himself as a man in a hurry.

We are planning to raise Rs 2.9 lakh crore from the equity market, Rs 1.06 lakh crore from private investments and Rs 2.19 lakh crore from Central Road Funds (CRF) or toll-operate-transfer (TOT) or toll road (BOT) projects.

For instance, out of the 111 identified National Waterways, 106 were conceived in 2016 alone. An assertive Nutan Guha Biswas, Chairperson, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is confident that the statutory agency will continue to exceed its performance in 2018.

Most of the projects we have awarded are sewage treatment plants in various states. These plants use standard available technology.

The market should develop significantly. India's demand for water is growing, while the amount of available water is falling. So, recycling and reusing water is an intelligent way to help meet the supply-demand balance.