German Bank KfW Shows Interest In Climate-resilient Urban Project For Tirupati
ICLEI South Asia representatives Sowmya Chathurvedula and Emani Kumar said they would prepare a concept note and a detailed project report based on scientific hydrological surveys, along with the environmental and social impact assessments required for KfW support
TIRUPATI: Tirupati is set to receive international support for the restoration of its tanks and improvement of drainage systems, with Germany’s KfW Development Bank expressing its readiness to back a climate-resilient urban development project for the city.
The proposal was discussed during a reconnaissance mission organised on Friday by the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) under the Indo-German Development Cooperation framework for sustainable urban development. Officials said the initiative aligns with the state government’s plan to develop Tirupati as a “city of tanks and lakes” through the revival and interlinking of traditional water bodies.
KfW Senior Sector Specialist Kiran Kumar Avadhanula said the proposed project, titled Climate-Resilient Urban Development in Tirupati Agglomeration, would focus on the rejuvenation of tanks along with modern stormwater management to address urban flooding. He said the plan envisages the integration of blue-green-grey infrastructure and nature-based solutions to improve water retention, drainage efficiency and the city’s climate resilience.
ICLEI South Asia representatives Sowmya Chathurvedula and Emani Kumar said they would prepare a concept note and a detailed project report based on scientific hydrological surveys, along with the environmental and social impact assessments required for KfW support. They said the studies would assess drainage patterns, linkages between water bodies and urban growth pressures in the Tirupati region.
During technical discussions, retired irrigation department chief engineer P. V. Subbarao stressed the need for modern water-harvesting structures and the scientific restoration of tanks with technical support from IIT institutions. IIT experts Prof. Krishna Prabhu and Dr Roshan, along with Municipal Corporation superintending engineer Syam Sundar and irrigation executive engineers P. V. Prasad and Siva Reddy, explained the present status of water bodies, wastewater infrastructure and ongoing drainage works.
TUDA secretary N. V. Sreekanth Babu said the KfW-ICLEI-IIT team would undertake three days of field visits to major tanks, drainage channels and proposed intervention sites in and around Tirupati before finalising its recommendations. He said TUDA chairman B. Divakar Reddy and Vice-Chairman R. Govindarajulu were pursuing international cooperation to secure technical and financial support for climate-resilient urban infrastructure in Tirupati.
