The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Nothing controversial about water project”

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Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Nothing controversial about water project”

Staff Reporter

Three million people in the Hogenakkal area are in need of potable water, says Tripathy

No-objection certificates have been obtained
Chennai Metro project will get Japanese loan assistance

— Photo: V. Ganesan

ENDURING TIES: Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy (right) and Kazuo Minagawa, Consul-General of Japan in Chennai, at the inauguration of a photo exhibition to mark 50 years of Japanese Overseas Development Assistance loans to India.

CHENNAI: There is nothing controversial about the Hogenakkal drinking water project, one of those funded by Japanese loans, Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy said Tuesday.

At the inauguration of a photo exhibition to mark the golden jubilee of Japanese Overseas Development Assistance loans to India here, he said there was an urgent need to provide potable water to 3 million people who suffer because the groundwater in the Hogenakkal area is contaminated with fluoride.

“Young children start losing teeth. Hands, legs and limbs get crippled by drinking the groundwater,” he said. The no-objection certificates have been obtained for the project that will be executed as per the water-sharing agreements.

“Twelve projects have been supported by Japanese Overseas Development Assistance loans in Tamil Nadu, and the Chennai Metro project will soon be added to the list,” said Hidetoshi Irigaki, Chief Representative of the Japan Bank of International Cooperation.

“Under the Tamil Nadu afforestation project, funded by Japanese loans, 1,87,000 hectares has so far been covered,” said Mr. Tripathy.

“Japan has been the largest bilateral donor to India for more than a decade,” said Mr. Irigaki. “A total of ¥2,902 billion, amounting to Rs. 115,000 crore, has been committed so far,” he said.

“Since 2004, India is the largest recipient of the ODA loans in terms of annual commitment.” He said the current focus of the loans was on infrastructure development and environmental sustainability. Japanese assistance to India began after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to Japan in 1957. “On March 30, 1959, the first loan agreement was signed. A sum of ¥18 billion was provided in loan. More than 100 projects, including the Bhakra Nangal project, was funded by this loan,” Mr. Irigaki said.

“After the Second World War, India was among the first to provide help to Japan,” said Kazuo Minagawa, Consul-General of Japan in Chennai. The Overseas Development Assistance loans apart, Japan supported grass-roots development by providing six non-governmental organisations with assistance.

R. Veeramani, president of the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was present.

The exhibition was organised by the Consulate-General of Japan and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation at the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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