Catalog

Will the Goals be Achieved?
ADB Review [ June 2005 ]

Water and sanitation projects need to be implemented by 2010 for impact to register by the 2015 deadline

By Melissa Alipalo, (malipalo@adb.org)
Consultant Writer

When reliable, clean water started flowing from faucets in 335 rural villages in Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, all of life changed—for the better.

Women started spending more than 45% of their day on income-generating activities. Incidences of water-related diseases dropped by 90%. Households increased their income by 24%, and school enrollment soared by 80%.

This is the power of water.

The positive effects of investments, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project, have also been felt in other countries—in Nepal’s remote villages, in the rapidly expanding city of Dalian in the People’s Republic of China, and in the recovering city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

One in three Asians, however, still does not have access to safe water, and half the population is without adequate sanitation. The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim to halve these numbers by 2015.

Time is of the essence. The outcomes of the Punjab project demonstrate the crosscutting impact a proper water supply can have on other factors of poverty. To meet the MDGs, the poor’s access to safe water and sanitation must be addressed first—before the 2015 target.

A catch to large-scale water supply and sanitation projects, though, is that they can take up to 10 years to prepare and implement. At this rate, the typical water supply and sanitation project needs to be implemented by 2010 for its impact to register by the 2015 deadline for the MDG waterrelated targets.

This year, ADB will test two innovations—zonal management and small, privately operated piped networks—for their ability to deliver quality water in a fraction of the time of major projects. These have recorded successes in various cities in Asia and around the world.

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, ADB will tackle the megacity’s overwhelming lack of water with a zonal approach. Dhaka will be divided into smaller, more manageable zones no larger than 1 million people. The idea is to concentrate substantial resources and effort to improve water services one zone at a time, ultimately providing 24 hours of piped, safe, and metered water.

Small, privately operated piped networks will be a second innovation piloted by ADB in India, Philippines, and Viet Nam to fill the gap in urban water services. Small piped networks operate much like a utility company would, but are owned by local entrepreneurs, who have proven to be more sensitive to users’ needs and quickacting to answer new demands. The implementation of small piped networks—from start to finish—can be as short as 3– 6 months only.

These innovative approaches have been successful in cities such as Phnom Penh and Bangkok, showing the potential for some of Asia’s other cities. Without such innovations and more investment, millions across Asia and the Pacific may be still waiting 5–10 years for the mere possibility of a connection to a safe, reliable, and affordable water service.

Go back to current issue

Email this to a friend