Spain contributing US$ 5 Million to ADB’s multi-donor trust fund for water

The Government of Spain has agreed to contribute a total of [US$ 5 million] to [the Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF),  one of the] multi-donor trust funds [operated by] the the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

[...] The Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF) was set up in 2006 to mobilize cofinancing from development partners in support of ADB’s Water Financing Program of 2006 to 2010. The Program targets large scale investment, reform and capacity building in rural and urban water services and river basin water management.

The November 2008 update of the WFWP page mentions that commitments have reached US$ 65 million:

• Netherlands Trust Fund – US$ 19.8 M
• Multi-Donor Trust Fund
  • Australia – about US$ 30 M equivalent
  • Norway – about US$ 5.5 M equivalent
  • Austria – US$ 5 M
  • Spain – US$ 5 M

Source: ADB, 05 Nov 2008

Bangladesh: Willingness to pay for sanitation in the BRAC’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme

Bin Seraj, K.F. (2008). Willingness to pay for improved sanitation services and its implication on demand responsive approach of BRAC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme. (RED working paper ; no. 1).  Dhaka, Bangladesh, BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED). 16 p.
Download here

This study aimed to provide some insights into sanitation-related strategies taken by the BRAC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme from an economic point of view. The aim of this report included measuring and identifying the factors that influence willingness to pay for improved sanitation services for the households without any latrine facilities in rural Bangladesh. A contingent valuation survey was carried out in four upazilas under BRAC WASH programme to determine household willingness to pay and affordability to pay for basic sanitary latrine options. The results indicate that about 80% of the households were willing to pay for improved sanitation services. Of the total households who were interested in paying for sanitary latrine about 92% preferred payment in monthly installments. The mean willingness to pay was found to be Tk. 69 if paid monthly installments and Tk. 825 if paid in single payment. The mean willingness to pay for the overall sample size was found to be within the range of 1-2% of the disposable income of the households. Economic hardship was found to be the major reason for not installing sanitary latrine. Health, cleanliness and prestige were found to be three major motivating factors for installing sanitary latrine. Regression analysis using ordered logit model showed that odds for spending money for improved sanitation services were higher for households with better income, households who believed that unsafe sanitation lead to diseases and households belonging to already intervened programme areas. As programmatic implications, this study suggests that credit facilities along with convenient location of the village sanitation centers are necessary to fulfill sanitation-related targets set by the programme. This study has also established a causal relationship between health awareness and willingness to pay for improved sanitation services. However, it was found that even if all the stated conditions are met, there will be some households who would not be able to pay for their latrines and will need some sort of cash incentive or subsidy.

India: microfinance for improving access to water supply and sanitation in urban India

Preliminary results of research [1] in India suggest that microlending may be an effective means of helping households in communities with existing trunk infrastructure to access improved water supply and sanitation services in their homes. The study represents “the first known investigation into the potential for microcredit to unleash latent demand for water supply and sanitation improvements among low-income households in developing countries”.

Through in-depth interviews with more than 800 households in the city of Hyderabad in India, researchers conclude that, even if provided with market (not concessional) rates of financing, a substantial proportion of poor households would invest in water and sewer network connections.

[1] Davis, J. … [et al.] (2008). Improving access to water supply and sanitation in urban India: microfinance for water and sanitation infrastructure development. Water science and technology ; vol. 58, no. 4 ; p. 887-891. doi:10.2166/wst.2008.437
Read full article here

Contact: Jenna Davis, Stanford University, USA, jennadavis@stanford.edu

India: unique micro-credit / micro-insurance scheme aims to spur innovation in sanitation sector

Dutch NGO WASTE together with micro insurance company TATA-AIG has identified a joint approach to improve sanitation using the health insurance products that TATA-AIG is developing based on their customer demand. Health insurance premiums will differ according to the sanitation situation of the target group, whereby better sanitation can be translated into lower premiums. The Dutch bank SNS-REAAL through its commercial funding will support the initiative and provide financial engineering advisory services in blending commercial and grant funding.

Other partners in this project, called FINISH (Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health) are BISWA, an Indian Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and UNU-MERIT, a joint research and training centre of United Nations University (UNU) and Maastricht University, The Netherlands. UNU-MERIT is in charge of academic evaluation of the Micro finance and Micro Insurance scheme.

The project has tremendous relevance for development such as health promotion amongst the poor, sanitation health interaction improvement and financial inclusion in sanitation improvement.

See the project description here

Source: UNU-MERIT, 03 Sep 2008

Training Course on Drinking Water Quality Management, 16-18 Dec 2008, New Delhi, India

Organised by: Development Alternatives

Course contents

A. Water quality monitoring

• Introduction to water quality monitoring and surveillance
• Field trip to Yamuna River for on site water quality analysis

B. Water quality management

• Introduction to Preventive and Remedial Measures
• Basic Water Purification Methods
• Advanced water treatment technologies
• Visit to water treatment plant-Wazirabad

Fee: INR 7,500 per participant

Application and payment deadline: 10 Dec 2008.

Contact: Bhavana Gadre, Manager-Training, New Delhi, India, Tel.: 011-26132718, email: bgadre@devalt.org

More information

Pakistan: water crisis – running on empty

Water availability in Pakistan has plummeted from about 5,000 cubic meters per capita in the early 1950s to less than 1500 m3 per capita today. Presently, more than 90 percent of these dwindling water resources are used for irrigation and other agricultural needs.

On 20 November 2008, the Asia Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, with assistance from the Environmental Change and Security Program and the Comparative Urban Studies Project, convened a conference to highlight the different facets of Pakistan’s water crisis; to examine the rural and urban dimensions of the crisis; and to consider possible responses.

In her opening address, the Hisaar Foundation’s Simi Sadaf Kamal provided a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s water challenges. These include inefficient irrigation, abysmal urban sanitation facilities, unequal water rights-and the country’s rapidly disappearing water resources.

[...] Sarah J. Halvorson of the University of Montana traced the intersections of water, gender, and health in rural Pakistan. [T]he challenges of securing water in rural Pakistan have grown since the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which displaced mountain residents and forced them into tent villages. Furthermore, Pakistani rural women face “an unprecedented crisis” in water and sanitation-from unsafe drinking water to water-borne disease.

[...] MIT’s James L. Wescoat Jr. noted that Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, has often had a reliable supply of water for only four hours a day, and asked what a water-conserving design for Pakistan would actually look like. Rainwater harvesting, constructed wetlands, advanced pond and lagoon systems, and a new emphasis on water-use efficiency must all be part of the solution, he posited.

[...] Cal State’s Anita Chaudhry, who shifted the focus to the problems of groundwater overexploitation and pollution in Lahore, [...] concluded [that Pakistanis], must pay far more attention to sustaining a balance between agricultural and urban users of water, between rich and poor consumers, and between the water needs of the current generation and those of the future.

[...] Samia Altaf, the Wilson Center’s current Pakistan Scholar, [...] argued that Pakistan’s failure to provide its citizens with safe drinking water has not been due to a lack of financial resources [but to a lack of] accountability and an engaged citizenry.

[A] number of practical and relatively simple suggestions also emerged from the conference discussions, including reducing irrigation water through the use of water-conserving agricultural technology; pursuing water-conserving building design methods in urban areas; and diversifying Pakistan’s water portfolio by harvesting rainwater.

Source: Michael Kugelman and Robert M. Hathaway, Wilson Center

Pakistan: draft National Drinking Water Policy due soon, on track to meet MDG target for sanitation

The draft National Drinking Water Policy will be finalized in consultation with provincial governments and others stakeholders and would be submitted to the Federal Cabinet for approval in a two-months time. The policy would be followed by National Action Plan in this area.

This was stated by the Federal Minister for Environment Mr. Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi while talking to UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ms. Helde Frafjord Johnson.

The Minister [...] said that a Water and Sanitation Directorate would be established in the Ministry of Environment [and] that a Ministerial Committee [had been proposed] to the Prime Minister of Pakistan to ensure smooth working in the water, sanitation and environment sectors.

[...] The Minister appreciated the UNICEF support in the area of water and sanitation, especially for [...] the formulation of national drinking water and sanitation policies, provincial and regional sanitation strategies, water quality standards and in the formulation of country plan for International Year of Sanitation-2008. He also lauded UNICEF assistance for enhancing coverage of water and sanitation in schools and communities.

[...] Considering the strong linkages of polio with sanitation conditions, the Ministry of Environment plans to develop joint strategy in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to ensure convergence of polio and sanitation programmes.

[...] UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ms. Helde Frafjord Johnson said [...] that UNICEF is looking forward to work closely with the Ministry of Environment under new country programme, UN joint programme (2009-10) and will extend the cooperation for implementing the National Action Plan on sanitation and drinking water supply.

Source: Ministry of Environment [click on news], 27 Nov 2008

While addressing the inaugural session of the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN)-III, [the Minister] stated that Pakistan is on-track to meeting its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target for sanitation.

[G]iven the baseline of 33% improved sanitation coverage in 1990, the MDG target for Pakistan is 67% improved coverage. Recent analysis indicates that Pakistan is on-track to meet its MDG target for sanitation. The most recent data of 2006/07 indicates that 73% of the population has now access to a latrine, with 96% access in urban areas, and 62% access in rural areas.

The minister, however, stated that while the progress in meeting quantitative targets is significant and laudable, there are continuing concerns over quality of the services. The government is aware that these concerns can negate the solid progress seen in the past few years, impact on critical health and poverty reduction outcomes, and compromise other MDGs.

[...] Water and sanitation related diseases are responsible for some 60% of the total number of child mortality cases in Pakistan, said the minister.

See the Sacosan III Pakistan country paper here

Source: Ministry of Environment [click on news], 27 Nov 2008

Pakistan: sanitation album on Picassa

This album by Tariq Jahangir has 230 photographs covering solid waste, public toilets (including school toilets and mosque toilets), wastewater, drains, sewerage, wastewater treatment plants, and hospital waste.

Mosque, washing hands, arms, face, feet before prayers Hygiene sanitation for muslims five times a day. Photo: Tariq Jahangir

Pakistan, Karachi: Bhitai Colony water woes

Despite the arrival of winter when the overall water demand is comparatively small, residents of Bhitai Colony are facing acute scarcity of water as the authorities concerned have adopted a “complicated procedure” of water supply to the area. Residents [said] that around 90 per cent people of the area depended on tankers for their water needs because the dilapidated pipelines had ceased to function [and that] it had become very difficult for women and elderly people to avail the service.

According to a newly-adopted formula, the residents have to collect a receipt for water from the cantonment dispensary office early in the morning to avail the service for that day. Only 40 receipts are issued daily on a first-come-first-served basis and people in an effort to secure a receipt start queuing up in the small hours.

Source: Dawn, 26 Nov 2008

Pakistan, Karachi: KWSB supplying unsafe water, newspaper reports

Karachi “is being supplied with contaminated water as the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board is mixing over 200 million gallons of unfiltered water with filtered water daily”, newspaper Dawn reports.

“The capacity of all filter plants of the KWSB has been reduced drastically, forcing utility officials to mix raw water with filtered water before supplying it to consumers”.

[...]

“A known pathologist associated with a major medical university, Prof Sirajuddaula Syed, told Dawn that raw water not only carried all kinds of bacteria and viruses but also contained lead, mercury and even arsenic and consumption of such water for a long time might lead to water-borne diseases, besides affecting the nervous system in elderly people and could causing mental disorders in children.

He said in case raw water got mixed with sewage water, it might even cause typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A and E.

Prof Sirajuddaula advised people to either boil water or put a tablet of chlorine or use PMA-recommended water purification system before consuming the water”.

Source: Dawn, 24 Nov 2008