Background

Kathmandu Valley is currently suffering from chronic water shortage and inefficient service delivery. To improve the present conditions of water supply and wastewater services, the Government of Nepal has embarked on a two-pronged improvement strategy that includes capital investments for infrastructure development, i.e., supply augmentation and system improvement and institutional reforms. To assist the government, ADB has provided three loans covering both infrastructure investment and institutional reforms. In addition to the loans, ADB has also supported capacity development activities i.e., study tour, workshops, and trainings in building knowledge on various fronts of water utility management to learn good practices from other functioning water services systems.

This study tour program on water services management was organized for Nepal's senior government and utility officials to visit Malaysia's Penang Water Utility. The program provided participants the opportunity to benchmark Penang's successful practices, enhance awareness on good utility management practices, and bring the lessons back to Nepal to improve their own utility management.

Objectives

The study tour program aimed to enhance the capacity of water service stakeholders in Nepal through building knowledge and sharing best practices, through

• Practice-sharing workshop on the experience, challenges and lessons from Penang Water Utility
• Technical training on water treatment and distribution technologies, including site visits to water treatment plants, distribution networks and service branches

Organizer

The study tour program was organized by ADB and the Government of Nepal, in cooperation with Malaysia's Penang Water Utility.

Participants

Policy makers from Nepal's urban water sector, project implementers of ADB urban projects, and water utilities in Kathmandu Valley, namely, the Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board, the Water Supply Tariff Fixation Commission, and the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, participated in the study tour program.