The Water for Asian Cities Programme is supporting the implementation of the water and sanitation related Millennium Development Goals and targets (MDGs) in Asian cities. It specifically promotes pro-poor governance, gender mainstreaming, water demand management, increased attention to environmental sanitation; and income generation for the poor linked to water supply and sanitation. The programme seeks to achieve this by mobilising political will, raising awareness through advocacy, information and education; training and capacity building; by promoting new investments in the urban water and sanitation sector; and by systematic monitoring of progress towards MDGs.

The overall goal of the project is to promote adaptation of communities living in natural calamity prone coastal areas of Cuddalore District in Tamil Nadu and its key objective of the project is to increase access of a minimum of 13,500 people, including children, women, men and people with disabilities to ‘community owned and managed water and sanitation facilities’ in urban and peri-urban areas of Cuddalore District.

As part of this ongoing project, 41 hand pumps with raised platforms; 11 ecosan latrines for women-headed households, disabled people and schools; rainwater harvesting in two schools; a mini-community water supply system and various activities to create awareness on water conservation and sanitation have been completed. These are being implemented in 16 disaster prone villages along east coast in Cuddalore district.