Odisha Partners Reaffirm Commitment to Phase 2 of the SWOP

On 20 August 2026, WaterLinks had an introductory meeting with Smt. Usha Padhee, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha, to discuss the next phase of the EU-funded Sanitation Water Operators Partnership (SWOP). The meeting, organized by the Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board, also had participants from Water Corporation, the Odisha Urban Academy, and the Public Health Engineering Organization.

The meeting provided an opportunity to introduce the partnership and its participating organizations, highlight key achievements from Phase 1, and discuss priorities and areas of collaboration for Phase 2, which will run from 2026-2030. The partners also reaffirmed their commitment to the next phase of the SWOP and strengthening the sanitation and wastewater management capacities in Odisha.

The EU-WOP Programme, funded by the European Union and managed by the Global Water Operators’ Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) at UN-Habitat was launched in 2020 and has supported 22 partnerships across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The Odisha SWOP is among the Phase 1 partnerships selected to continue into EU-WOP Phase 2. Running until 2030, Phase 2 is supported by €14 million in EU funding to build on 12 successful Phase 1 partnerships through the Expanding Window and support 15 new partnerships through the Emerging Window across these regions.