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Punjab Rural Water Project Receives First Asian Development Bank Water Prize

ADB President Honors Pakistani Project Director
and Community Leaders at Launch of Water Week

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (9 December 2002) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched Water Week today, with the presentation by ADB President Tadao Chino of the first ADB Water Prize.

The Housing, Urban Development, and Public Health Engineering Department of Punjab Province, Pakistan was the recipient of the award. It was recognized for successfully promoting stakeholder participation, hygiene education, and local community ownership in the ADB-financed Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project.¹

This prize is presented to project agencies in recognition of sound practice in implementing ADB's "Water for All" policy. In presenting the prize, Mr. Chino noted the work carried out under the project by many community-based organizations in Punjab province, including all the voluntary contributions in managing the water supply schemes and social development activities initiated with the help of the project.

ADB President Tadao Chino presents the award to Ms. Gul Fareen Yaqoob (middle) and Ms. Nadia Saeed.

The ADB President presented the prize to project director Javed Iqbal Chaudry and to Gul Fareen Yaqoob, president of the Thathi Gujran village community organization in Attock district of Punjab Province, and community motivator Ms. Nadia Saeed. Mr. Chino also recognized the work of ADB Urban Development Specialist, Social Sectors Division, South Asia Department, Mr. Shakeel Ahmad Khan, who has worked on the ADB project, in particular for his efforts to promote community participation.

In launching Water Week, Mr. Chino stressed the importance of collaboration with development partners in addressing water issues. "It can take place in sector work and policy dialogue in our developing member countries, in comparative analysis of water sector reforms in the region, in demonstration and dissemination of innovative approaches on the ground, in cofinancing of investments in infrastructure and services, and in capacity building, regional cooperation and governance improvements," Mr. Chino said.

The President reminded participants that at the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development, the world community committed itself to halve the number of people without access to water and sanitation services by the year 2015. He noted that in Asia 90 percent of the people without safe drinking water and adequate sanitation live in rural areas. "ADB is actively involved in water projects in rural areas, and I encourage ADB staff and development partners to look for opportunities to increase investments for rural water supply and sanitation projects to help meet the Millennium Development Goals."

The overall theme for this year's Water Week is "Water for All - Getting ADB's Water Policy to Work." Session themes are linked to the basic elements of ADB's Water Policy, "Water For All," approved in January, 2001.

The session themes for Water Week are:

• Promoting national water policies and sector reforms
• Fostering integrated management of water resources in river basins
• Fostering stakeholder participation
• Developing partnerships
• Improving water services in irrigation and drainage
• Improving water services in water supply and sanitation with private sector participation
• Promoting regional cooperation.

One session is allocated to dialogue with development partners, including donors, nongovernment organizations, the private sector and academics.

¹ Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project Information

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