WASHINGTON—The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved an $80 million project to help Nepal improve the delivery of water and sanitation services and promote integrated water resources management.
“This
project aims to strengthen the delivery of water and sanitation services at the
local level by building the capacity of municipalities and thereby supporting
Nepal’s historic transition to federalism, while at the same time addressing
critical gaps in water and sanitation infrastructure that hinder Nepal’s
economic progress,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country
Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
The Water Sector Governance and Infrastructure Support Project will
be implemented in strategic towns and rural municipalities in Karnali and
Sudurpashchim provinces. Both provinces have low access to water supply and
sanitation services, a higher incidence of poverty, and are vulnerable to
climate change.
The project will help the local
governments develop viable institutions to deliver water supply and sanitation
services sustainably and efficiently. The project will also strengthen the
accountability of the sector to customers by building the monitoring and
regulatory capacity of provincial and federal government agencies in the
sector. These will be complemented by investments in construction and
rehabilitation of vital water supply and sanitation infrastructure, as well as
water-quality surveillance facilities and monitoring systems.
“Through this project, we look forward to
supporting the government of Nepal’s efforts to transform the water and
sanitation by applying best practices in climate resilience, gender equality,
social inclusion and citizen engagement – all of which are essential for
delivering effective, equitable and inclusive services to local
communities,” said Feriha Mukuve Mugisha, Water Resources
Specialist and the Task Team Leader for the Project.