Announcement of IDA Assists Tubewells Project in India on April 17, 1980

. ,, .. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - .World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 IDA NEWS RELEASE NO. 80/40 Apr i 1 17, 1980 IDA ASSISTS TUBEWELLS PROJECT IN INDIA Th~ International Development Association (IDA), an affiliate of the World Bank, today announced the approval of a credit of $18 million to help finance the construction of 500 public tubewells for JrrigatJon in India's Uttar Pradesh State. The $36 mill ion project is designed to denonstrate and evaluate thP- relat,ve merits of a number of technical and operational improvements to the design of existing public tubewell systems in Uttar Pradesh. The project will help expand the irrigated area in the state by 60,000 hectares • and bring irrigation for the first time to 62,000 farm families. At full production, the project is expected to result in increased production of about 64,000 tons of foodgrains and 82,000 tons of other crops per year. This in turn wili help India save about $10 mill ion in foreign exchange each year. The IDA credit to India is for 50 years, including 10 years of grace. The IDA credit is free of interest, except for a service charge of 3/4 of 1% per annum to meet IDA's administrative costs. NOTE: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents . • FORM NO. 1121 (5-76) T E C HN I CA L DA T A PROJECT: COUNTRY: TOTAL COST: Uttar Pradesh Public Tubewells I IO i iiG i o $36 million • IDA FINAMCING: $18 mil lion, standard IDA terms OTHER FINANCING: Government of Uttar Pradesh; and the Government of India IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Tubewe 11 Wing Irrigation Department Government of Uttar Pradesh India Cable address: SECRETARY IRRIGATION, LUCKNOW PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project will support the construction of 500 public tubewells in 12 Districts of the State of Uttar Pradesh over a two-year period, with the objective of demonstrating and evaluating the relative merits of a number of technical and operational improvements to the design of existing • tubewell systems in the state. PROCUREMENT: Drilling ($3.7 million) will be carried out by the Tubewell Wing, which has an established, technically competent staff capable of drilling 1,500 wells in its annual program, of w~ich IDA- financed wells will be a part. The remaining civil works ($4.3 million), small and scattered, will be carried out by local contr~ctors after competitive bidding. PVC and steel casting pipes ($11.8 million) will be procured through international com- petitive bidding and remaining building materials after local competitive bidding. ECONOMIC RATE OF RETURN: 36% ESTIMATED COMPLETION: 1982 ~ 0 - •