Enhancing Water Resilience through Integrated Water Management – Surat, India

Water management challenges are not new to Surat. They have been
actively addressing these challenges since the launch of its city resilience strategy in 2017. Through the sharing of knowledge and ideas at the Temasek Foundation Urban Resilience Programme (TFURP), city leaders were able to continue building on their key initiatives to secure its water future and set an inspiring example for other cities facing similar challenges.

This is the third instalment in the TFURP series of success stories.

The Temasek Foundation Urban Resilience Programme (TFURP), jointly supported by Temasek Foundation (TF), Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) and Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities), was conceived to bring together city leaders and urban practitioners across the Asia Pacific to enhance the urban resilience and liveability of cities in this region. This is achieved through the capacity development of senior city officials as the programme introduces them to progressive mid- and long-term policy frameworks, and practical implementation strategies based on Singapore’s experience. TFRUP’s knowledge sharing and mentoring support enables cities to develop concept proposals, institutionalize the tools they acquire, and where needed, pitch projects to entice funding support from potential investors.

Better Cities is sharing three case studies from three TFURP cities – Jambi, Seberang Perai and Surat.

Surat is one of the three cities shortlisted from the Temasek Foundation Urban Resilience Programme (TFURP) held in 2021-2022, similar to the cities of Jambi and Seberang Perai which have been featured in previous editions of the Better Cities series.

Water management challenges are not new to Surat. These challenges include rising water demand due to population growth and industrial activities; groundwater depletion; saltwater intrusion; and rapid urbanisation along the Tapi River, the key river traversing Surat. Surat has been actively addressing water management challenges since the launch of its city resilience strategy in 2017.

To strengthen its water management further, Surat has proposed a comprehensive project titled “Cleaning, conservation, and rejuvenation of the Tapi River” as part of the TFURP. The short-term goals of the project are to improve water quality through the ongoing river cleaning, build a dam to prevent storm surges and flooding, and create an additional reservoir for clean water. In the long term, the project will upgrade water treatment facilities to achieve 100 percent recycling of treated effluent and revitalize development along the riverfront. Collectively, these measures will boost the city’s resilience for water management, ensure the economic competitiveness of Surat, and improve the quality of life for all residents of Surat.

Through the TFURP, the Surat team gleaned insights from Singapore’s planning and development of the Marina Barrage example and sought views from experts in the programme on the detailed design of the new barrage that Surat intends to build. For example, the city leadership was advised to look beyond the functional design of the barrage, and to explore creating a new landmark for the city and to activate the space for public use by incorporating recreational spaces.

In terms of financing, it was proposed that Surat could seek support from international financial institutions such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the construction of the barrage. In addition, through its consultation with R-Cities and CLC, Surat was also advised that there would be great potential to develop a customised Public-Private-Partnership approach to developing and managing the barrage. In such a model, the majority stake of assets could remain with the city government while the minority stake could be transferred to the private sector to bring required capital to acquire new technologies to treat the water to tertiary standards. The revenue from selling the treated water could be shared as per equity split between the partners. Surat could then identify the potential buyers of the treated water.

Surat's pursuit of water resilience is testament to the transformative potential of collaborative initiatives. As Surat continues to implement these key initiatives, the city is not only securing its water future but also setting an inspiring example for other cities facing similar challenges.

Delegates from Surat, India, at the WCS 2022 Smart Cities Workshop in deep discussion with representatives from the International Finance Cooperation (IFC), a member of the World Bank