URWSSP

Uttarakhand Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Project (SECTOR PROGRAM)

A vision 2020 has been conceived for the RWSS Sector keeping in view the exigencies of ensuring sustainability in the sector. The Govt. of Uttarakhand Vide GO No. 2120/29/04-2(22 Pay)/2004 Drinking Water Section dated 18th August, 2004 has conceived the following vision which is as below:

“The rural local government in partnership with rural communities; shall plan, design, construct, operate and maintain their water supply and sanitation schemes; so that they get potable water and attain health and hygiene benefits; the Government of Uttarakhand and its sector institutions shall act as supporter, facilitator and co-financier and as per need shall provide technical assistance, training and cater for bigger construction works and emergent conditions”

The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) regarding Water and Sanitation states that by year 2015 Reduce by half the proportion of people without suitable access to drinking water and basic sanitation. In accordance with it, the Govt. of Uttarakhand has prioritized URWSS as a key area of its development agenda in view of the MDG. To scale up the reform principles in the rural water supply and sanitation sector the State Interim decided to implement URWSS program on Sector Wide Approach (SWAp principles).
The Project development objective is to improve the effectiveness of rural water supply and sanitation (RWSS) services through decentralization and the increased role of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the involvement of local communities in the state under pre-planning, planning, implementation, operation & maintenance of the schemes as per the 73rd amendment of Constitution.

Project at a Glance:

• Sector Program implementation: November 2006 to December 2015
• Agencies: Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam, Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan & Project Management Unit (Swajal)
• Sector Program : Rs. 1505.00 Crore ($ 350 million)
• Credit ID: 42320-IN
• Inside SWAp: Rs. 955.00 Crore ( $ 224 million)
• Outside SWAp: Rs. 550.00 Crore ($ 126 million)
• Sector Financing: IDA: Rs. 516 Crore ($ 120.0 million) ; GoI, GoUK & Communities: Rs. 989 Crore ($230 million)

Long Term Goals of the Sector Program:

• Under this project, rural local governments in partnership with rural communities, will plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain their water supply and sanitation schemes.
• This is the first URWSS project which supports state sector wide common policies and institutional arrangements for improving service delivery. It is expected to provide better water & sanitation facilities through empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• This project aims to support the state’s sector reform process by establishing and enhancing its institutional capacity to implement, manage, and sustain the state’s sector development program.

Medium Term Goals of the Sector Program:

• Upgrade areas with no or partial coverage of water supply to full coverage with sustainable service, benefiting at least 1.2 million people, or 20 percent of the rural population.
• Improve sanitation in about 30 percent of rural communities. Ultimate goal is to provide Total Sanitation Cover to all Gram Panchayats including schools and community places.
• Generate sustainable access to water and sanitation services,which in turn will help reduce water-borne diseases in under served rural areas.
• As per the Project Appraisal Document (PAD) of the URWSSP, the main aspects of the project are as given below:

Project Components:

Component A: URWSS Sector Development (US$ 5 million):
Component B: URWSS Infrastructure Investments (US$ 197 million):
Component C: URWSS Program Management Support and M&E (US$ 22 million):

Component A: URWSS Sector Development (US$ 5 million): It aims to support the state’s sector reform process by establishing and enhancing its institutional capacity to implement, manage, and sustain the state’s medium-term sector development program through the following sub components:

1. Capacity-building and strengthening programs;
2. Information, education, and communication;
3. Sector information system, water quality, and water source discharge monitoring programs;
4. Modernization of public procurement and procurement reforms; and
5. Sector studies.

Component B: URWSS Infrastructure Investments (US$ 197 million): It aims to improve service and sustainable access to URWSS services by financing the following investments:

1. New investments in water supply schemes and catchment-area protection works;
2. Community mobilization and development activities; and
3. Sanitation programs.

Component C: URWSS Program Management Support and M&E (US$ 22 million): It aims to support:

• Operational and administrative costs associated with the implementation of the sector-wide approach basket of the state’s medium-term sector program; and
• Monitoring and evaluation.

Achievement of Objective and Outputs:

• The Project has established the RWSS decentralization program across the sector in Uttarakhand, moving from traditional ‘supply driven’ mode to decentralized
  service delivery responsibilities, empowering the PRIs in planning, designing, implementing and maintaining schemes.
• The project has involved all sector agencies, including UJN and UJS in implementing the SWAp-decentralization program, irrespective of sources of financing. The project facilitated formation of 5,481 UWSSCs as dedicated units under the GPs, responsible for water supplyand sanitation services.
• The project has exceeded targets by directly benefitting 1.57 million rural people against the project target of 1.20 million (achieving 131% of the target). The indirect beneficiaries are 7.3 million rural population which benefitted through the SWAp program and policies.
• Water supply works are completed for 3,814 SVSs and 37 MVSs covering 8,641 habitations against a target of 8,270 habitations, achieving 104% of the target through decentralization mode.
• Project has demonstrated sustainable toilet coverage from 21% baseline to 97% at project closure through effective IEC and capacity building programs. 679 GPs achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, against a target of 475 GPs.
• 2,447 schemes have benefitted from Catchment Area Conservation Management Program (CACMP) for improving source sustainability. The 37 percent habitation coverage 18 under the Catchment Area Conservation Management Program (CACMP) surpassed the PAD target of 25 percent.
• The water supply schemes are integrated with sanitation programs, solid waste management, catchment area programs, and health and hygiene promotion activities for maximizing the health benefits to the rural communities.
• The average project cost of SVS is Rs 4854 per capita compared to appraisal estimates of Rs 7031 per capita. The project has recorded a saving of 30% compared to its own per-capita cost targets and 60% cost savings when compared to GoI (NRDWP) norm of Rs 12,000 per capita cost. Similarly, the project cost for MVS is Rs 7972 compared to appraisal estimates of Rs 10320 per capita resulting in 22.5% cost savings, and GoI (NRDWP) norm of Rs 25,000 per capita, resulting in 68% cost savings. Decentralization has resulted in capital cost reduction in SVS and MVS.

Beneficiary:

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Benefits:

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