The treatment of septage, or the waste content found in a septic tank from household or commercial sources, is a concern in many countries. The management plan that the Indian officials will study in Malaysia is part of the process of implementation of World Bank-aided septage management schemes in Indian cities.

"Heads of municipal corporations and councils of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura would visit Kuala Lumpur next week to study septage management schemes there," a Tripura urban development department official told IANS.

He said the World Bank had agreed to provide loans to execute septage and sewage management schemes in several Indian cities, including in the states of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura.

Pakistani and Bangladeshi delegations would also accompany the Indian delegation to Kuala Lumpur Dec 14-20.

The 142-year-old Agartala Municipal Council will turn into a Municipal Corporation next month. Its chairperson Prafullajit Sinha and several officials are part of the Indian delegation travelling to Malaysia.

The official said: "India has the highest number of people in the world defecating in the open. To check this hazard and also improve existing hygiene, the World Bank has agreed to provide financial assistance to several Indian urban local bodies."

Meanwhile, Tripura's Urban Development Secretary Ashutosh Jindal told reporters that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently sanctioned a Rs.130 crore project to replace the 53-year-old 408-km water supply pipelines in Agartala.

The ADB-assisted North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme will be implemented in Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland) and Gangtok (Sikkim), besides Agartala.