By: Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, November 14[2007]
The loan renewal with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) will be postponed till January 2008 due to a delay in the handing over of Nepal Water Supply Corporation to a semi-private body and other changes in the project infrastructure.
The ADB was supposed to renew the loan agreement for S120 million this month with the Nepal government for the construction of 26.5 Km tunnel in the Melamchi valley.
An ADB mission, which studied the project's progress in the Kathmandu and in the field for the past six days, presented a report to the project. The report said the renewal of the agreement will not be possible before January. The Melamchi's agenda was supposed to be presented to ADB board meeting on November 22. "The mission, in short, told us that the renewal of the loan agreement will be held only in January," said Purna Das Shrestha, deputy executive director of Melamchi Water Supply Development Board. He said that the project was moving forward with temporary extension which has been taking place in every three months. "Now, we cannot approve tender bids for the construction of the tunnel. However, we have been continuing the process for calling the tender," he said adding that as it is a big-scale construction, the bidder do not want to make bids before the loan approval.
He said that a delay in handing over the assets and liabilities of NWSC to the semi-private company—Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL)—could be the major reason for the delay in the loan agreement. "Due to some changes in KUKL and as NWSC also had some problems to complete its duties, the handover problems to complete its duties, the handover was delayed, which ultimately affected the process of loan renewal," he said.
The ADB had agreed for the loan in December 2000, which will be used mainly in the construction of the tunnel.
Source: The Himalayan Times, November 7, 2007
Showing posts with label ADB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ADB. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Piped water for landless in Tanahu village
Razen Manandhar
Tanahu, September 25:
First time in the country, over 400 families without proper land-ownership will have rinking water pipelines in a hilly village of Khairenitar in Tanahu district, around 30 km south-east of Pokhara.
The consumers of the locality have identified the families, which do not own legal land, as
“extremely poor” and have provided them with pipelines through special requests of the local consumer group, though according to the government rules, one requires to produce land-ownership certificate to subscribe to piped drinking water.
The 20.4-million-rupee-project of Khairenitar Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project (KSTWSSP) — a joint effort of the government, the consumers as well as the Asian Development Bank — is now in the final stage. The project is going to benefit 4,634 people in 808 households.
The project has earmarked Rs 19.8 million for water and Rs 0.5 million for sanitation. For this the government will provide a loan of Rs 6.5 million through Town Development Fund to the consumer groups.
In general, each of the subscribers has to pay Rs 16,000 but the extremely poor can get the same for Rs 7,800 in 24 installments. They will get additional free fitting service worth Rs 3,200. Poor who own houses, have to pay Rs 12,200 in 12 installments. For water, they will pay Rs 40 per month for 60 cubic litres of water and an additional Rs 6 for each cubic litre.
Some 855 households have already been provided with pipelines, of which eight are “extremely poor” and 13 are poor. KSTWSSP collected Rs 1.55 million in last fiscal year from them.
The project also provides building material worth Rs 2,500 to each of the poor families to build toilets.
However, the user group is facing problems, as the installed water treatment plant does not function properly during the monsoons. “With help of UN-HABITAT supported project, we will install a pre-treatment plant and work on capacity building for the consumers,” said Ram Chandra Upadhyaya, the secretary of the committee.
“The consumer group is now working on Khairenitar model as a demonstration project, making it a source of inspiration for surrounding towns,” said Laxmi Sharma, project officer of STWSSP for Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project has a cost-sharing modality between the government and the beneficiaries.
[http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aFanata0sa2qzpba2Ua5ua.axamal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&sImageFileName=]
Tanahu, September 25:
First time in the country, over 400 families without proper land-ownership will have rinking water pipelines in a hilly village of Khairenitar in Tanahu district, around 30 km south-east of Pokhara.
The consumers of the locality have identified the families, which do not own legal land, as
“extremely poor” and have provided them with pipelines through special requests of the local consumer group, though according to the government rules, one requires to produce land-ownership certificate to subscribe to piped drinking water.
The 20.4-million-rupee-project of Khairenitar Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project (KSTWSSP) — a joint effort of the government, the consumers as well as the Asian Development Bank — is now in the final stage. The project is going to benefit 4,634 people in 808 households.
The project has earmarked Rs 19.8 million for water and Rs 0.5 million for sanitation. For this the government will provide a loan of Rs 6.5 million through Town Development Fund to the consumer groups.
In general, each of the subscribers has to pay Rs 16,000 but the extremely poor can get the same for Rs 7,800 in 24 installments. They will get additional free fitting service worth Rs 3,200. Poor who own houses, have to pay Rs 12,200 in 12 installments. For water, they will pay Rs 40 per month for 60 cubic litres of water and an additional Rs 6 for each cubic litre.
Some 855 households have already been provided with pipelines, of which eight are “extremely poor” and 13 are poor. KSTWSSP collected Rs 1.55 million in last fiscal year from them.
The project also provides building material worth Rs 2,500 to each of the poor families to build toilets.
However, the user group is facing problems, as the installed water treatment plant does not function properly during the monsoons. “With help of UN-HABITAT supported project, we will install a pre-treatment plant and work on capacity building for the consumers,” said Ram Chandra Upadhyaya, the secretary of the committee.
“The consumer group is now working on Khairenitar model as a demonstration project, making it a source of inspiration for surrounding towns,” said Laxmi Sharma, project officer of STWSSP for Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project has a cost-sharing modality between the government and the beneficiaries.
[http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aFanata0sa2qzpba2Ua5ua.axamal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&sImageFileName=]
Friday, June 15, 2007
Yami to write to ADB today on her terms
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu , June 14[2007]: The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works is writing a "final" letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) tomorrow on its stance on the Melamchi Water Supply Project.
"We will write to the ADB tomorrow, requesting it to let the Melamchi project materialise the way we want," Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami told this daily today. The ADB headquarters sent a letter to the ministry yesterday, urging Yami to clarify her stance. The ADB also asked the ministry to respond at the earliest so that Nepal's final stance on the project can be discussed at the ADB's board meeting, slated for June 16 in Manila.
The ADB has been asking the government to adhere to what the former government decided ― let the British company, Severn Trent Water International (ST), work ― if it wants the ADB loan for the $500m project.
The ministry has said it will accept the ADB loan if the government chooses any other means of institutional reformation for distribution of water in the valley, except the handover of the operation of valley's water distribution system to the ST.
Ruling out the "comeback of the ST", Yami said she has a new plan to let Nepali or other foreign experts handle the valley's water distribution system.
She said that the ministry is now working on strengthening the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khane pani Limited, Kathmandu Valley Water Board and Tariff Fixing Committee.
Kathmandu , June 14[2007]: The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works is writing a "final" letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) tomorrow on its stance on the Melamchi Water Supply Project.
"We will write to the ADB tomorrow, requesting it to let the Melamchi project materialise the way we want," Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami told this daily today. The ADB headquarters sent a letter to the ministry yesterday, urging Yami to clarify her stance. The ADB also asked the ministry to respond at the earliest so that Nepal's final stance on the project can be discussed at the ADB's board meeting, slated for June 16 in Manila.
The ADB has been asking the government to adhere to what the former government decided ― let the British company, Severn Trent Water International (ST), work ― if it wants the ADB loan for the $500m project.
The ministry has said it will accept the ADB loan if the government chooses any other means of institutional reformation for distribution of water in the valley, except the handover of the operation of valley's water distribution system to the ST.
Ruling out the "comeback of the ST", Yami said she has a new plan to let Nepali or other foreign experts handle the valley's water distribution system.
She said that the ministry is now working on strengthening the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khane pani Limited, Kathmandu Valley Water Board and Tariff Fixing Committee.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
ADB-funded water project not serving urban poor: Report
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, December 2[2006]:
A study conducted by water activists has concluded that the $53.9 million project funded by the Asian Development Bank has not been able to ensure quality drinking water for the poor population, as promised.
The ADB-funded Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project implemented in 40 to 50 small towns across the country with an aim to provide quality drinking water to small town dwellers in six years, has failed to meet its target, the NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation said in a report prepared on the basis of its research in Ratnanagar, Lekhnath, Parsa and Bandipur municipalities.
The targetted communities have not been able to reap benefits from the project because the service charge is too expensive for the poor communities residing in small towns.
The ADB had approved the $53.9 million project in 2000 and funded $35 million, Nepal government agreed to provide $10.9 million while $8 million was to be borne by water users and the local governments in the project sites. The deadline for the project was June 30, 2006.
But now that the project is yet to be completed, the deadline has been extended until 2008. The report has also said that the project designed by the ADB has not been able to realise the commitments made in its Water for All policy.
The report has drawn attention of authorities concerned over the issue of “affordability of the project services by the poor, lengthening of project implementation and its impact on the poor, representation and participation of the poor in decision making, sanitation services for the poor and transparency to the Water Users and Sanitation Committee”.
The report has said that average water tariff rate in the project towns reaches about Rs 12 per cubic metre for first 10 cubic metre of water against what costs only Rs 5 in Kathmandu Valley.
“The provison of compulsory 50 per cent contribution to the project by the water user communities has made it virtually impossible for the poor to benefit from the service,” it said, adding that the cost recovery scheme promoted in the Water For All policy needs to be revised to ensure that the poor people share benefits of water projects.
In the meantime, the project plan document does not include any mechanism for treating drinking water or wastewater.
Binod Neupane, deputy manager of Town Development Fund, the Nepali investor in the project, admits that there are problems in different aspects of implementation of the project. “We, however, cannot say that the project is a total failure. I don’t think it will be so difficult to make it a success if all the stakeholders work together,” he said.
Kathmandu, December 2[2006]:
A study conducted by water activists has concluded that the $53.9 million project funded by the Asian Development Bank has not been able to ensure quality drinking water for the poor population, as promised.
The ADB-funded Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project implemented in 40 to 50 small towns across the country with an aim to provide quality drinking water to small town dwellers in six years, has failed to meet its target, the NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation said in a report prepared on the basis of its research in Ratnanagar, Lekhnath, Parsa and Bandipur municipalities.
The targetted communities have not been able to reap benefits from the project because the service charge is too expensive for the poor communities residing in small towns.
The ADB had approved the $53.9 million project in 2000 and funded $35 million, Nepal government agreed to provide $10.9 million while $8 million was to be borne by water users and the local governments in the project sites. The deadline for the project was June 30, 2006.
But now that the project is yet to be completed, the deadline has been extended until 2008. The report has also said that the project designed by the ADB has not been able to realise the commitments made in its Water for All policy.
The report has drawn attention of authorities concerned over the issue of “affordability of the project services by the poor, lengthening of project implementation and its impact on the poor, representation and participation of the poor in decision making, sanitation services for the poor and transparency to the Water Users and Sanitation Committee”.
The report has said that average water tariff rate in the project towns reaches about Rs 12 per cubic metre for first 10 cubic metre of water against what costs only Rs 5 in Kathmandu Valley.
“The provison of compulsory 50 per cent contribution to the project by the water user communities has made it virtually impossible for the poor to benefit from the service,” it said, adding that the cost recovery scheme promoted in the Water For All policy needs to be revised to ensure that the poor people share benefits of water projects.
In the meantime, the project plan document does not include any mechanism for treating drinking water or wastewater.
Binod Neupane, deputy manager of Town Development Fund, the Nepali investor in the project, admits that there are problems in different aspects of implementation of the project. “We, however, cannot say that the project is a total failure. I don’t think it will be so difficult to make it a success if all the stakeholders work together,” he said.
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