Water for the Rural Poor
Focus on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation
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Water Champion: Rebecca Ravalo on
Bringing Water To The Rural Poor
"She works tirelessly to enable communities to manage
their own water systems," says Shige Muramoto, ADB's Project Engineer,
of Rebecca Ravalo. Ms. Ravalo is the Program Manager of the Water
and Sanitation office of the Philippines' Department of the Interior
and Local Government. Whether promoting community participation, the
new cost-sharing scheme between the national and local governments,
or a holistic approach to capacity building, Ms. Ravalo knows the
trick is to try and break down the barriers of unproductive paradigms
or practices. Read Rebecca Ravalo's views on the challenges and prospects
for rural water supply in the country.
Water Today, Better Lives Tomorrow
Transforming lives for the better. This is what access to clean water did for the more than 670,000 people living in poor, remote, and rural areas of Nepal who benefited from ADB's 4th Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project. Increased water consumption, improved water quality, energy and time savings, and significant health benefits were only the starters. Communities, through water user committees, are now working to maintain their water and sanitation schemes and generate enough revenues in the process.
Change Agenda- Changing the Focus of Lending
It's high time that rural areas get a more substantial share of development assistance and government support toward gaining access to adequate water supply and sanitation. Most of Asia's poor live in rural areas, and they are the ones that lack access to good quality water services. Unfortunately, self-financing in rural areas is more challenging, partly because their size makes it difficult to generate economic and financial returns on investment. ADB is taking up the challenge of directing more investments to improve water supply and sanitation in rural areas.
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NARBO to Help Strengthen River Basin Organizations (RBOs) and Implement IWRM
The Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) is training 25 water professionals from Southeast Asia toward applying integrated water resources management (IWRM) in their work. The training course, which runs until 6 August, will enable participants to formulate road maps for implementing IWRM at organization, basin, and country levels.
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Three New Pilot and Demonstration Activities (PDAs) Approved
ADB's Water Sector Committee has recently approved 3 PDAs focusing on rainwater harvesting and irrigation technologies, wastewater management, and integrated water resources management. PDAs are short-term activities designed to improve or promote innovative local initiatives that strengthen the management of water resources or delivery of water services. ADB started the PDA program in 2002 with the financial support of the Cooperation Fund for the Water Sector.
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Water for the Poor Partnership with Viet Nam Going Strong
ADB's partnership with Viet Nam to catalyze and improve the quality of investments in water security for the rural poor is producing results. Begun in 2003, the partnership is resulting in a national water and poverty assessment, a joint donor review of the Viet Nam water supply and sanitation sector, a national dialogue process on water and poverty and nongovernment organization (NGO) participation in project design. ADB is now exploring the potentials of expanding the initiative to water operations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, People's Republic of China (PRC), Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Sri Lanka.
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Integrated Strategy to Help Protect The PRC from Destructive Floods
ADB will help protect the PRC from the destructive effects of floods by developing an integrated flood mitigation and flood management strategy. ADB's technical assistance, amounting to $500,000, will be executed by the Ministry of Water Resources beginning in September 2004. The PRC Government will contribute $125,000. Read the full TA report.
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Integrated Approach to Flood Protection Saving Lives and Money in Bangladesh
Two ADB projects in Bangladesh successfully helped mitigate the negative impacts of floods. The Dhaka Integrated Flood Protection Project completed and augmented flood protection embankment and floodwalls, rehabilitated existing drains, and constructed drainage facilities. The Secondary Town Infrastructure Flood Protection Project (STIFP) constructed river embankment and bank protection to secure secondary towns, and improved solid waste management services. ADB is in the process of launching the second phase of STIFP.
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Walking for Water
During a three-year drought, women from arid rural areas in Gujarat, India were spending at least three hours daily fetching water from a steadily diminishing source. Now the women are managing village systems and bringing water closer to home.
Bringing Potable Water to the Far-Flung Islands of the Philippines
On the average, 2 out of 3 Filipinos living in rural communities lack access to safe drinking water. An ADB project helped improve this statistic by providing safe and easily accessible water to 16 small island provinces.
Ladies First: Accessible Water for Entrepreneurial Women in Pakistan
Through the Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project, the women of Punjab gained easy access to clean drinking water -a radical change that will continue to lift their lives for generations.
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Videos
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Reports and Publications
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26 July -
9 August |
Training Program on International Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Strengthening of River Basin Committees
(Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand)
The training
program will strengthen river basin committees and enable water
professionals in the region to integrate IWRM concepts into the
planning process |
| 7-8 August |
Workshop on Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) Web Design and Implementation (Bangkok, Thailand)
Members and collaborating partners of the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) will meet to design a NARBO web site that is responsive to the needs of its users. |
| 16-20 August |
World Water Week/ 14th Stockholm Water Symposium (Stockholm, Sweden)
Carrying the theme theme "Drainage Basin Management -- Regional Approaches for Food and Urban Security," these events serve as a global platform for continuing dialogue on critical water and related issues. |
| 16-20 August |
HydroVision 2004 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Over 1,600 water professionals are expected to attend this series of workshops, seminars and tours concentrating on civil works safety; hydro policies and regulations; new hydro development operation and maintenance; strategic business and asset management; technical papers; and water, natural, and cultural resources management. |
31 August-
3 September |
7th International River Management Symposium (Brisbane, Australia)
The symposium is part of the 10-day Riverfestival 2004 celebration, focuses on the world's best practices in river and watershed management, and provides an international forum for science, research, management, and policy development. |
| 29 August- 2 September |
Good Water Governance for People and Nature (Dundee, Scotland)
The conference builds on the declarations and decisions made in Johannesburg, Bonn, and Kyoto, and aims to enhance the global debate on critical water governance issues. |
Water for All News is produced by the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Water Awareness Program to provide current information to developing member governments, professionals, researchers, private sector, civil society, academe, and their counterparts in the donor community who are interested in water sector issues that affect the pace of development.
For comments or more information contact: water@adb.org
Disclaimer
The Asian Development Bank provides the information contained in this newsletter and links to its web site solely as a resource. While ADB tries to provide high-quality content on its web site, it does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of this information; and therefore, will not be liable in any capacity for damages or losses to the user that may result from the use of this information. ADB and its affiliate offices, likewise, shall not be responsible for any errors, omissions, or inadvertent alterations that may occur in the disclosure of content in this newsletter or on its web site.
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