National Institution for Transforming India Commences Three-Year Programme with CH2M and Partners to Build Water Capacity

Collaboration of CH2M, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and Temasek Foundation to Expand India's Water Infrastructure across States and Local Urban Areas

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Jul 13, 2016, 10:05 ET

NEW DELHI, July 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) recently selected CH2M, in collaboration with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) and Temasek Foundation (TF), to share best practices in Urban Planning & Governance, Water and Wastewater Management and Solid Waste Management, as part of a three-year programme to increase the capacity of India's infrastructure. The programme includes a series of highly interactive workshops and advisory sessions focused on sharing best practices implemented in Singapore, as well as internationally.

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) commences three-year programme with CH2M and partners to expand India's water infrastructure across states and local urban areas.

"We are honored to bring our expertise to the development of India's water infrastructure," said CH2M Global Water Business Group President Peter Nicol. "Delivering integrated solutions for water and wastewater remains critical to advance urban management programmes supporting India's growth as a major world economy."

Launched in April 2016, the goal of the NITI Aayog programme is to share Singapore's water management technology and project implementation experience with senior officers from various government agencies dealing with the critical drought situations in many parts of India. CH2M is pleased to help deliver this programme by providing full access to thought and knowledge leaders in integrated water resource management (IWRM), drinking water treatment quality, public/stakeholder engagement and advanced water recycling. The project team will leverage successes and learnings from similar projects in larger cities, such as Delhi, Bengaluru and Jaipur. This initiative by NITI will introduce a new paradigm for water infrastructure and help cities and agencies to diversify India's water resources portfolio with increased water resiliency.

The first workshop, held in June 2016, was attended by more than 70 high ranking officials from urban agencies within seven different states in India. The workshop team solicited participant input through pre-workshop questionnaires, discussed key challenges faced by these implementing agencies, shared success stories from Singapore and other international case studies, and discussed how those solutions can be adapted to India. Interactive discussions were also generated in the areas of project delivery, supply chain management in infrastructure projects, and financial sustainability of utilities in India.

"This is really the age of cities due to huge migration; these cities contribute significantly to the global gross domestic product (GDP) contribution. This process of urbanization poses a challenge of how India can achieve urbanization in a sustainable manner for others to follow. The key challenge in India is not lack of water but the sheer lack of management of water. Therefore, it is important that we learn from the experience of a country like Singapore about the art of conservation of water, pricing water right, water recycling and the use of IWRM practices. Indian states can learn this art from CH2M, which is one of the world's most outstanding companies in water sector. The kind of experience they bring to the table is a rare expertise; so do utilize this opportunity today to learn and benefit from the best experts in the world," said Mr. Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog.

CH2M has worked closely with SCE delivering similar programmes for major water infrastructure projects in Jaipur, Taloja (Maharasthra), Delhi and Bangalore, as the lead technical advisor and consultant.

About CH2M

CH2M leads the professional services industry delivering sustainable solutions benefiting societal, environmental and economic outcomes with the development of infrastructure and industry. In this way, CH2Mers make a positive difference providing consulting, design, engineering and management services for clients in water; environment and nuclear; transportation; energy and industrial markets, from iconic infrastructure to global programmes like the Olympic Games. Ranked among the World's Most Ethical Companies and top firms in environmental consulting and programme management, CH2M in 2016 became the first professional services firm honored with the World Environment Center Gold Medal Award for efforts advancing sustainable development. Connect with CH2M at www.ch2m.com; LinkedIn; Twitter; and Facebook.