RS. 1343 RURAL DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION PROJECT FOR MAHARASHTRA
NEGOTIATED WITH WORLD BANK
A High Level Indian
Team negotiated US$ 268.65 million (Rs.1343 crore) Rural Drinking
Water Supply Project from Maharashtra with the World Bank from
3rd to 8th July, 2003. The Project is based
on Swajaldhara reform principles, viz, empowering the village
panchayats and the communities to plan, implement and manage drinking
water and sanitation schemes of their choice.
The project aims
to cover 2800 village panchayats in 26 districts, 75 lakh population
including 5 lakh tribals (in 1700 tribal padas) will receive the
benefits. The project will be implemented over 6 years period
and will have 5 major components – (I) community development and
infrastructure (US$ 167.13 million); (ii) institutional development
(US$ 67.08 million); (iii) rural water supply sector development
for water quality monitoring and knowledge management (US$ 5.58
million); (iv) pilots on panchayat incentive, acquifer management,
and operations and maintenance (US$ 15.19 million) and (v) contingencies
including US$ 13.67 million.
The project implementation
will provide two major benefits, viz. (I) increasing rural household’
access to improved and sustainable drinking water facilities and
sanitation services; and (ii) institutionalization of the decentralized
water supply and sanitation service delivery.
The project has 18.81%
of economic rate of return. The World Bank will provide IDA credit
of US$ 181 million (Rs.905 crore); the Government of Maharashtra
share will be US$ 73.65 million (Rs.368 crores) and the Community
contribution will be US$ 14 million (Rs.70 crores). The project
promotes the convergence of Government of India programmes like
Swajaldhara, Sector Reforms Projects and Total Sanitation Campaign.
The project will
promote water conservation, rainwater harvesting measure, integration
of drinking water, sanitation and hygienic at all levels in the
state.
