Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Water-based natural resources management

Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban policy, institutional and capacity development - Urban sanitation - Urban water supply

Unsafe water and inadequate sanitation cause diarrhea and child malnutrition. Because few people in Oecussi can access safe drinking water and improved sanitation, the under-five mortality rate is higher than the national . In Oecussi's main town, Pante Makasar, it is unsafe and unreliable water supply system results from a dilapidated network and lack of institutional capacity. Pante Makasar usually receives water a few hours a week or not at all. Peri-urban communities in Oecusse show lower access levels to improved sanitation than the national average. This may be due to house holders lack of awareness and low financial capacity to invest in basic infrastructure. This impacts people's health and contaminates shallow household's wells. Also, the lack of access to safe water increases women's workloads as they fetch water while caring for children affected by water-related diseases .

In Timor-Leste, 50% of the population lives on less than $0.80 per capita per day , below the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of $1.25 per capita per day. Of employed Timorese, those engaged in farming have the highest poverty incidence and account for 88% of the poor. The economies of Oecussi and Ermera are based on low productivity farming and provide very few employment opportunities outside of farming. In these Districts, 72% of the population are farmers or do unpaid housework. Farming low productivity and limited diversification of the economy are the result of infrastructure destruction during the last decade. There is difficulty accessing markets and inputs such as seeds or irrigation.

Improving roads and water supply are the highest priorities for the Government of Timor-Leste followed by food security._In accordance with these priorities, the Government of Timor-Leste has requested Asian Development Bank's (ADB) assistance to rehabilitate the Pante Makasar water supply system, improve sanitation in Oecussi District, and rehabilitate Debo Lehumo Lake in the sub-district of Eraulo to enable fish farming and irrigation activities to recommence.

More_people enjoy improved supply of drinking water in Timor-Leste

NDWSS provides safe and reliable water supply to district capitals Manatuto and Pante Macasar

NDWSS rehabilitates and expands Manatuto and Pante Macasar water supply systems

Households in Manatuto and Pante Macasar have increased knowledge of efficient use of water resources and safe hygiene practices

Sustainable O&M of water systems practiced by DDWSS in district capitals

Executing and implementing agencies provide efficient project management and monitoring services.

Completed: Manatuto in December 2016, and Pante Macassar in January 2018

Awareness campaign phase 1 completed, next phase to be started soon.

O&M tender is in progress. Tender_for O&M was launched in August and expected contract award by end of 2018

The output (#4) has been removed due to budget constraint.

2590 household in Mantuto and Pante Macassar is now connected to new water water supply system.

Ongoing support on efficient project management is provided by the PMU.