WB grants Ethiopia USD 80 Million for Water, Sanitation projects
By Tesfa Alem Tekle
April 7, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$80 million in support of the Water Supply and Sanitation project in Ethiopia which encountered financial shorts.
According to the Bank’s press release sent to Sudan Tribune, the additional financing is provided for the ongoing Water Supply and Sanitation Project (WSSP), which has been implemented since November 2004.
The objective of the original project, which remains unchanged, is increased access to sustainable water supply and sanitation services, for rural and urban users, through improved capacity of stakeholders in the sector.
“Approximately 1.5 million rural people have benefited from improved water supply and sanitation services through capacity building in 204 woredas and construction of 3,364 rural water supply schemes,” said Yitbarek Tessema, the World Bank’s Task Team Leader for the project.
Similarly 150 thousand urban residents have obtained access to improved water supply and sanitation services from increased production as well as improved distribution and enhanced performance of local operators.
According to a new report released by the World Bank last month, Ethiopia, Haiti and Niger are facing the world’s worst water shortages, but 700 million people in 43 countries are under “water stress”
Almost a third of the bank’s total projects in recent history have been water-related, and a total of $54 billion was spent financing them, the report said.
At an occasion recently held to mark World Water Day, Ethiopia’s Water Resources Minister Asfaw Dingamo said that the Ethiopian government is undertaking many efforts to improve safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation services across the nation.
According to the Minister, country’s safe water coverage has now reached to 66.2 per cent from 20 per cent 19 years ago following the efforts made to expand clean water and sanitation coverage in urban and rural areas.
The World Bank said that the rural component of the project in the Horn of Africa’s country has been substantially completed. However its urban component has encountered a financing gap. The US$80 million additional financing is to cover the costs associated with the financing gap in the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Component of the project.
Within the original project objective and following the same implementation arrangement, the Bank has approved the additional financing to be used to cover the financial gap in these 50 towns to meet the original project objective.
The project will be implemented by ministries, regional bureaus and woreda offices of water, health and education until March 31, 2013.
(ST)
Deng Thiak Adut
WB grants Ethiopia USD 80 Million for Water, Sanitation projects
I am laughing my head off. The World Bank cannot be serious about its corrupts aspect that always and continuously contributes to African underdevelopment. This is in fact Egyptian grant so that Ethiopia may not build its new controversial Dam and World Bank maybe merely be put in the scene whereas the sources of fund/grant may not be known, or readily available for public scrutiny . This $80 million will not do anything to change the lives inside the Ethiopia. I urge the sisterly country to consider their position about this sources of grant and not be blind by the idea of World Bank behind the scene. This is unacceptable and why didn’t the World Bank release this grant before Ethiopia sought of building the dam?
I hope Ethiopia is not going to settle for grant rather pursuing her full potential aspect of dam such as finances, and the expertise in the area and deliver a full project.