Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project

It is easier to build new infrastructure than to repair the existing infrastructure, in terms of both cost and political benefit/visibility. Local authorities and ADB have focused on new infrastructure in the past. Replacing old and leaky water lines is expensive, not because of the water pipe itself, but because of road repairs and related traffic disruption in busy, already overcrowded lanes and streets. These associated expenditures cost several times more than the water line itself, and are often underestimated. But these projects bring major improvements to many low-income residents.