Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Program (Facility Concept)

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Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, and one of the densest megacities in the world, with 24,000 people per square kilometer. Kolkata faces multiple challenges. In 2017, Kolkata had an estimated 5.2 million people; while the total population of the city and its suburbs was 14.7 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. KMC is mandated to provide urban servicesincluding water supply and S&Dto its citizens, but services are not uniform across the city. In 2007, Kolkata was identified as a hotspot for climate change and among the top 10 cities with high exposure to flooding under climate change forecasts by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2011, a detailed study by the World Bank assessed Kolkata's vulnerability to climate change and recommended investments in S&D systems. In 2011, KMC prepared an investment plan to improve the urban sector, which estimated the needed physical investment at $4 billion. KMC designed KEIIP to increase its climate resilience and urban services by adopting the recommendations from the 2011 World Bank study and following the investment plan and KMC's relevant master plans and policies. The program's associated policy framework aims to create an enabling environment for improved services. Adoption of a water loss roadmap in 2016, property tax reforms in 2017, and increases in urban services through Projects 1 and 2 of KEIIP (approved in 2012 and 2016, respectively) are helping KMC address some of the challenges identified by the policy framework. Project 3, approved in August 2018 continues expanding S&D coverage, provide treatment for sewage collected under KEIIP, and strengthen KMC's capacity for resilient urban services.