World Bank doles out 800bn/- to boost water supply
The credit facility is also set to, apart from connecting the population to safe water supply service, provide access to improved sanitation to over four million rural communities in the country.
A statement issued by the World Bank in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, observed that the new Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme is aimed at increasing access to rural water supply and sanitation services in 17 administrative regions and support the government in building strong institutions to sustain access to rural water supply.
World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Somalia, Ms Bella Bird noted that quality and strength of Tanzania’s human capital is critical, especially as it aspires to become a middleincome country.
“There is a strong relationship between water and sanitation access and improved child health outcomes, which is critical for productivity and learning, particularly for girls whose school completion rates are lagging,” noted Ms Bird.
According to the statement, among the most critical issues in Tanzania lies on chronic under nutrition which affects one in three children (2.7 million children) and is linked to poor sanitation.
The statement further noted that only 11 per cent of the people have access to improved toilet, Continues o whereas 50 per cent of public schools in rural areas have the required number of toilets and only 43 per cent are equipped with functional hand washing stations.
Through this programme, up to 1,250 communities and 1,500 schools will benefit from improved sanitation facilities, which directly support the government’s national sanitation campaign,” noted the statement.
Based on that the government’s second Water Sector Development Programmer (WSDP-2, 2016-2019) is intended to strengthen sector institutions for integrated water resource management and improve access to water supply and sanitation services across the country.
The funding also intends to help establish the anticipated new government agency for rural water supply.World Bank Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist and co-Task Team Leader for the Programme, Mr Kristoffer Welsien said that under the new programme, activities will be strategically designed to enhance the capacity of the national, regional, and local governments to monitor, ensure quality and improve and sustain water service delivery.
“The programme will also strengthen environmental management supervision and operationalise existing policies and procedures,” pointed out Mr Welsien.
A Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist for the WB and co-Task Team Leader for the new programme, Mr Lain Menzies, was keen to note that the programme utilises results-based financing instruments.
“The use of a results-based approach used for this sector is an ideal opportunity to create the right incentives for institutions to deliver better quality and lasting services to the population and to institutionalise good practices.
It will accelerate and enable a shift from the current focus on constructing water supply infrastructure to building institutions that will deliver sustainable water services,” he said.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, and helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programmes that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives.
IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa.
Comments
Post a Comment