Why is it in the News?

Around 36% of India’s population is living in cities and by 2047 it will be more than 50%. The World Bank estimates that around $840 billion is required to fund the bare minimum urban infrastructure over the next 15 years.

About Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT):

• AMRUT was launched to enhance the quality of life by providing basic civic amenities, especially benefiting the poor and disadvantaged.
• The mission focuses on infrastructure development to deliver better services to citizens.
• AMRUT covers 500 cities, including all cities and towns with a population of over one lakh that have notified Municipalities.

About AMRUT 2.0:

• AMRUT 2.0 will promote circular economy of water through development of City Water Balance Plan (CWBP) for each city focusing on recycle/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation.
• It will help cities to identify scope for projects focusing on universal coverage of functional water tap connections, water source conservation, rejuvenation of water bodies and wells, recycle/reuse of treated used water, and rainwater harvesting.
• Based on the projects identified in CWBP, Mission envisages to make cities ‘water secure’ through circular economy of water.

The target in the second phase of AMRUT is to:

• • Improve sewage and septic management
  • Make cities water-safe
  • Ensure no sewage drains into rivers
• AMRUT 2.0 focuses on enhancing sewerage and septic management to make all Indian cities water secure.

Aim:

• Achieve 100% coverage of water supply to all households in around 4,700 urban local bodies by providing about 2.68 crore tap connections.
• Achieve 100% coverage of sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities by providing around 2.64 crore sewer or septage connections.

Principles and Mechanism:

• Adopt principles of the circular economy to promote conservation and rejuvenation of surface and groundwater bodies.
• Promote data-led governance in water management and leverage the latest global technologies and skills through a Technology Sub-Mission.
• Conduct 'Pey Jal Survekshan' to encourage competition among cities for better water management.

Coverage:

• Extend coverage from 500 cities in the first phase to 4,700 cities and towns.
• Benefit more than 10.5 crore people in urban areas.

Analysis of the AMRUT Scheme:

Performance of the Scheme:

• As of May 2024, the AMRUT dashboard reports that ?83,357 crore has been disbursed. This funding has facilitated:
  • 58,66,237 tap connections
  • 37,49,467 sewerage connections
  • Development of 2,411 parks
  • Replacement of 62,78,571 LED lights

Criticism of the Sheme:

Despite these achievements, significant issues persist:

• Approximately 2,00,000 people die annually due to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• In 2016, India's disease burden from unsafe water and sanitation was 40 times higher per person than China's, with minimal improvement since then.
• Large volumes of untreated wastewater increase disease vulnerability.
• Around 21 major cities are expected to run out of groundwater. A NITI Aayog report predicts that 40% of India's population will lack access to drinking water by 2030.
• Nearly 31% of urban households lack piped water, and 67.3% are not connected to a piped sewerage system.
• The average urban water supply is 69.25 litres per person per day, far below the required 135 litres.
• Air quality in AMRUT cities and other urban areas continues to worsen.
• While the National Clean Air Programme was launched in 2019 to address air quality, AMRUT 2.0 focuses primarily on water and sewerage issues.

Challenges:

The AMRUT scheme has faced several fundamental challenges:

• Project-Oriented Approach: The scheme adopted a project-oriented rather than a holistic approach.
• Lack of City Participation: It lacked significant involvement from elected city governments, being driven instead by bureaucrats, parastatals, and private companies.
• Governance Issues: Governance was dominated by non-elected officials, violating the 74th constitutional amendment.
  • The apex committee was led by the MOHUA secretary, and state committees were headed by chief secretaries, excluding people's representatives.
• Private Nexus: The scheme favored a private nexus of consultants and professionals, sidelining local elected officials.
• Water Management: Effective water management in cities requires consideration of climate, rainfall patterns, and existing infrastructure, which the scheme did not adequately address.
• Inefficient Sewage Treatment: Sewage treatment plants were inefficiently designed, with faecal matter traveling longer distances than the average worker's commute.
• Urban Planning: Driven by private players and real estate developers, urban planning often led to the disappearance of water bodies, disrupted stormwater flows, and a lack of proper stormwater drainage systems.

Way Forward:

To improve the AMRUT scheme:

• Nature-Based Solutions: Implement nature-based solutions.
• Comprehensive Methodology: Adopt a comprehensive methodology that integrates all aspects of urban development.
• People-Centric Approach: Focus on a people-centric approach, involving local communities in decision-making.

Empower Local Bodies: Empower local bodies to take a leading role in governance and implementation.