Asian development bank( ADB) is helping to increase coverage and provide safe water supply and sanitation to underserved populations in poor and remote areas of mid-western and far-western Nepal, through a sector loan approved for US$24 million, ADB said Thursday.
The Community-based Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project will improve facilities in 1,200 communities in 21 districts, benefiting about 850,000 people. Surveys reveal that household income falls below $48 per month in more than 85% of households in the districts, which have been prioritized by the Government, ADB, and major stakeholders.
The project will develop and/or repair the rural water supply and sanitation infrastructure, including gravity systems, hand pumps for tube wells, pipes with overhead tanks, and rainwater systems.
It will also set up a revolving fund to provide credit for the construction of family latrines and finance sanitation facilities for schools. Women, girls, and socially excluded castes and ethnic groups will be specifically targeted and encouraged to participate in project training activities and rural water supply and sanitation management.
“By taking a demand-driven approach, in which beneficiaries will make a minimal contribution to qualify for funding, the project will strengthen communities’ capacity to plan, co-finance, manage, and operate improved water supply and sanitation facilities,” says Eva Mayerhofer, an ADB Project Specialist. Despite abundant water resources, Nepal’s harsh terrain makes access to water difficult for much of the population, particularly those in rural areas who rely on shallow wells, ponds, and streams, which are often both biologically and chemically contaminated. Typhoid is common and diarrhea and other waterborne diseases are endemic.
“Women and children, who often must spend four or five hours a day gathering water from distant sources, bear a disproportionate amount of the burden of the water shortage,” adds Ms. Mayerhofer.
“By providing access to more convenient and cleaner water, the project will not only yield significant health benefits, but also free up people’s time to pursue educational and economic activities.” To ensure sustainability, the project will conduct awareness campaigns to increase hygiene education.
It will also develop the capacity of a wide range of sectoral support organizations, such as nongovernmental and community-based organizations to provide efficient and cost-effective support to communities and local authorities on water and sanitation service delivery. “Participating communities, with NGO support, will be able to build their own rural water supply and sanitation facilities and establish the capacity to operate, maintain, and repair the systems,” says Ms. Mayerhofer.
In addition, the project will support implementation of the National Water Supply Sector Policy, 1998; the draft National Sanitation Policy, 2002; and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Strategy and Action Plan. It will also strengthen the Government’s decentralization efforts by focusing project activities and decision-making at the local authority and community levels.
The total estimated project cost is $35.7 million equivalent, of which the Government will provide $7.7 million, local authorities $400,000, and the beneficiaries will contribute $3.6 million. ADB’s loan comes from its concessional Asian Development Fund and carries a 32-year term, including a grace period of eight years. Interest is 1% per annum during the grace period and 1.5% per annum subsequently.
In addition to the financial support provided by ADB, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, the United Nations Children’s Fund, Water Aid, the US Agency for International Development, Finland’s Department for International Development Cooperation, Nepal Water for Health, and the World Bank provided financial and technical and logistical support to prepare this project.
The executing agency for the project, which is due for completion at the end of 2009, is the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.