A memorandum of understanding signed by Rajasthan’s Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) with the City of Aarhus, Denmark, will help the desert State in the sustainable development of the urban water sector. Ground water aquifer mapping is an important aspect of the agreement, which was signed here last week.
Public Health Engineering Minister Mahesh Joshi, who visited Denmark in August 2022, said here on Tuesday that Denmark’s assistance would help Rajasthan prepare a new framework for drinking water management and rejuvenation of rivers. The MoU would create new dimensions in the field of water resource management and distribution mechanism, he said.
Green strategic partnership
Ambassador of Denmark Freddy Svane met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot here in March 2021, paving the way for collaboration in water management. A Danish delegation later came to the State and visited Jaipur and Udaipur cities to observe the water supply arrangements. Denmark’s waste-water experts Peter Fischer and Ditte Hansen also visited Jaipur to deliberate on a green strategic partnership.
During their visit to Denmark, Mr. Joshi and the team of PHED officials accompanying him were left impressed by Danish work in the field of water and environment conservation and opined that the model of waste water management system could be replicated in Rajasthan. The delegation also visited the universities and institutions in Denmark to observe the research on the country’s water supply utility.
Danish projects such as the Marselisborg waste water treatment plant could provide solutions for energy self-sufficiency and sustainability for large areas. The State is going to benefit immensely from the technical assistance to be provided by Denmark as part of the MoU.
Rajasthan and Denmark will cooperate with each other to improve the quality, reduce non-revenue water or sewage by increasing efficiency of the distribution system, plan recycling of waste water management, evolve solutions for rejuvenation of rivers and undertake ground water aquifer mapping.
Mr. Svane, who was present at the MoU signing ceremony, said this was a “strategic partnership” between Denmark and India. He said efforts for long-term mutual cooperation with Rajasthan would continue.
The MoU, which will be effective till 2030, was signed by Additional Chief Secretary, PHED, Subodh Agarwal, on behalf of the State government, while Director (Planning) Louise Pepe digitally signed it for the City of Aarhus, Denmark.
