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Sanitation and Drainage Project to Help Clean Up Environment in Apia, Samoa

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (28 November 2003) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an assistance package totaling US$8.4 million to improve the drainage and drainage infrastructure of Samoa's capital, Apia.

A loan of $8 million will help finance integrated improvements to Apia's sanitation systems including the construction of a wastewater collection and treatment system for the central business area, improvements to individual sanitation systems and the rehabilitation of floodways and drains around low-lying areas of Apia, and install water gauges for flood monitoring.

It will also build capacity of the Samoa Water Authority (SWA) and the Ministry of Works, Transport and Energy on a range of technical and management issues with additional targeted assistance for the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture on related health and environmental monitoring aspects.

A complementary technical assistance (TA) grant of $400,000 will be financed out of ADB's Japan Special Fund, funded by the Government of Japan. The TA will focus on helping the Government, through its Planning and Urban Management Agency, develop drainage and wastewater management planning as well as urban planning and regulation. It will also help develop legislation and implementing regulations for better wastewater and sanitation.

"Improved urban wastewater and sanitation systems together with rehabilitation of drains and floodways are urgently needed particularly in the central business area and adjacent low-lying areas," says Nancy Convard, an ADB Senior Project Specialist.

"The aim of the project is to improve the environment and public health of about 60,000 residents of Apia by improving the urban infrastructure for sanitation and drainage as well as urban management capacity where the Government has taken strong initiative and commitment, including establishment of the Planning and Urban Management Agency."

The Government's growing concern about inadequate urban infrastructure and coordination of development activities has also become a concern at the community level.

Nearshore marine water and urban stream water quality in Apia have significantly degraded. Most wastewater is now treated in individual systems such as cesspools or septic tanks before being discharged into drainage channels, soil, and groundwater. The inadequate drainage system is compounded by landfills and blocked drains. The result is frequent flooding, with foul water posing increasing health risks.

Businesses also suffer significant financial losses from the frequent flooding, hampering overall economic growth.

The project will therefore design, build, and operate a wastewater collection and treatment system for the central business area, serving priority areas including the National Hospital, an education compound, and market. The treatment plant will have a capacity of 950 cubic meters per day, while about five kilometers of sewers will be built.

In addition, the project will upgrade individual sanitation facilities in low-lying areas, particularly southwest of the central business area. Regular pump-out programs for septic tanks and cesspools will be managed by SWA.

The project will improve 2,850 meters of floodways and rehabilitate 2,425 meters of existing drains. The new water gauges will monitor flooding to establish survey levels to support future master planning and drainage design.

"Besides the benefits of physical development, the project also includes planning, legislative, and institutional strengthening to support the project's sustainability and long-term urban environmental management, and will increase the likelihood of future investment in urban management," says Ms. Convard.

The total project cost is estimated at US$10 million, of which the Government will provide US$2 million. ADB loan's loan comes from its concessional Asian Development Fund, with a 32-year term, including a grace period of eight years. Interest is 1% during the grace period, and 1.5% afterwards.

The Ministry of Finance is the executing agency for the project, which is due to be completed by the end of 2008.

The total cost of the TA is estimated at US$475,000, with the Treasury Department as executing agency. It is due for completion in March 2005.

More at adb.org/media

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