Getting Water Supply and Sanitation to All

Morning Seminar

Seminar Programme            09:00-12:00, Room K1

Event Summary and Conclusions

The session focused on two themes: Accelerating Sanitation Investments and Expanding Water Supply Coverage.

The sanitation segment included a screening of ADB’s new documentary entitled “Coming Clean on Sanitation,” which showcases sanitation solutions in Indonesia and Pakistan, and two (2) presentations:  the Water and Sanitation Programme’s urban sanitation planning and development initiative and the results of an ADB co-funded study on the economic impacts of sanitation.

The study concluded that sanitation-related economic losses in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Viet Nam amount to US$ 9 billion per annum or about US$ 30 per capita. Given this reality, participants highlighted the importance of disseminating this information to encourage policy makers to act. Among the suggestions offered to accelerate sanitation investments are: employ an integrated approach for urban infrastructure development, push sanitation’s demand and supply chains by creating emotional incentives for government and individuals and supporting champions, and for ADB to be more proactive in conducting dialogues with developing member countries on the need to invest in sanitation.

The water supply segment included the screening of another new ADB documentary, “Changing Lives: Rural Water Schemes in Sri Lanka,” which documents the implementation and benefits of several water supply and sanitation projects in rural Sri Lanka,  and three (3) country presentations. These presentations focused on India’s successful, government-led initiative to improve urban infrastructures, including water and sanitation, the efforts of Viet Nam’s Haiphong Water Supply Company to improve its performance by increasing its operational efficiency and financial viability, and the Sri Lankan water board’s new management approach to improve service delivery.
 
The water supply session underscores the efforts of governments and water operators to improve service delivery. In the case of India, the implementation of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission demonstrates the commitment of the Government to reforms providing over US$ 11 billion to the program covering 63 cities, 40% of which is allocated for water supply and sanitation. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board of Sri Lanka likewise instituted a program putting customers at the center of its operations re-orienting staff to address customer concerns first. The programs are showing positive results especially in a region where 24/7 water supply is absent. Pockets of success can be seen in pilot areas in India and Sri Lanka where 24/7 has been achieved and non-revenue water (NRW) is being reduced. On the other hand, many are eager to learn from the experience of Haiphong Water Supply Company which, over a span of just 10 years, have managed to improve service delivery by reducing NRW to 21% from 70%, covering close to 100% of population with 24/7 good quality water. Beyond the reforms within the utility itself, the policy reforms particularly on tariff regimes, greatly contributed to the success of Haiphong. Their experience proves that imposing appropriate tariffs that will cover maintenance and expansion programs, along with operational improvements, result in financial viability. Today, Haiphong has been tapped by ADB as an expert utility under its Water Operators Partnerships (WOPs) program. The discussion covered the factors contributing to the success of these initiatives and the continuing challenges faced by these water institutions, among them affordability of tariffs and financial viability. The twinning program between weak and strong utilities supported by ADB through the WOPs Program caught the interest of several utilities, who expressed their interest to participate in the program.

Presentation from the event

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