| Project Detail |
The project will provide safe, sustainable and inclusive drinking water, and irrigation services to about 100,000 people who suffer from water insecurity in Thimphu and Gelephu municipalities (Thromdes) and Chhukha, Wangdue Phodrang, Zhemgang and Mongar districts (Dzongkhag) of Bhutan. It will adopt disaster- and climate-resilient designs and improve institutional and local communities capacity for sustainable drinking water and irrigation services.
Project Name Water Flagship Program Support Project
Project Number 42173-017
Country / Economy Bhutan
Project Status Approved
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Grant
Loan
Source of Funding / Amount
Grant 0874-BHU: Water Flagship Program Support Project
Asian Development Fund US$ 6.00 million
Grant 9233-BHU: Strengthening Communities Capacity for Sustainable and Climate -resilient water management and farmers livelihoods
Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific US$ 2.00 million
Loan 4281-BHU: Water Flagship Program Support Project
Concessional ordinary capital resources lending US$ 14.00 million
Strategic Agendas Environmentally sustainable growth
Inclusive economic growth
Drivers of Change Gender Equity and Mainstreaming
Governance and capacity development
Knowledge solutions
Partnerships
Sector / Subsector
Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Irrigation - Rural water supply services
Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban water supply
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Effective gender mainstreaming
Description
The project will provide safe, sustainable and inclusive drinking water, and irrigation services to about 100,000 people who suffer from water insecurity in Thimphu and Gelephu municipalities (Thromdes) and Chhukha, Wangdue Phodrang, Zhemgang and Mongar districts (Dzongkhag) of Bhutan. It will adopt disaster- and climate-resilient designs and improve institutional and local communities capacity for sustainable drinking water and irrigation services.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Bhutan has the highest per capita freshwater availability in South Asia._However, the country is confronted with localized and seasonal water shortages for drinking and agricultural purposes because of its topography (steep mountains and deep valleys), insufficient infrastructure, and limited capacity for sustainable service delivery._Although 97.2% of the countrys population (757,042 people) is served by basic drinking water services, access to safe and reliable (safely managed) drinking water remains a challenge for most people in rural and urban areas._Water supply is mostly intermittent, often ranging from 4 to 12 hours per day, and not reliable for 18.4% of households._Only 36.2% of Bhutans population is served by water that is reported as free from contamination. Irrigation services coverage is limited to 32% of irrigable land, mostly designed for paddy cultivation, and a third of existing irrigation systems have scarce or inadequate water supply._As a result, people in rural and urban Bhutan, especially women and the poor, sacrifice productive time collecting water and/or coping with water-borne diseases. Farmers income is constrained by no or limited irrigation services, which lowers agricultural productivity.
Water infrastructure development in Bhutan has not coped with the level of population growth (1.3% per annum between 2005 and 2017) and urbanization (37.8%), and is insufficient to fulfill the current service demand in rural villages, district towns, and city areas._Underdeveloped drinking water and irrigation infrastructure leaves pockets of rural population to rely on unreliable drinking water services (20.2% of rural households) and rainfed agriculture. Peri-urban areas of cities (e.g., in the national capital Thimphu) and towns (e.g. Bajo, Gedu, Tshimasham and Zhemgang) are still served by old community or rural water supply schemes (RWSS), which are poorly functional, unreliable, and do not have sufficient capacity to provide sustainable services to current and future population. These schemes are also characterized by poor drinking water quality because of insufficient treatment infrastructure and water and sanitation safety planning. Gelephu city and towns such as Mongar rely on water sources such as infiltration galleries or small streams, which are at risk from washing off during monsoons and drying up in winter. Nonrevenue water is estimated to be 30%-55% in urban centers due to aging infrastructure, and poor operation and maintenance (O&M) and demand management. Thimphus core area distribution network is worn out with high physical losses water and almost no metering in certain areas.
The project will (i) establish and/or rehabilitate drinking water and irrigation infrastructure and make it disaster- and climate-resilient, (ii) strengthen the capacity and awareness of institutions and local communities in safe, sustainable and resilient water management and sanitation, and (iii) establish climate smart water management system_
Impact
Sustainable water achieved (Twelfth Five-Year Plan 2018-2023 - National Key Result Area 17)
Food self-sufficiency and nutrition security enhanced (Twelfth Five Year Plan 2018-2023 - National Key Result Area 8) |
