Achieving Results through Partnerships Sri Lanka North East – Water, Sanitation And Hygiene (WASH) Project October 2014 overview Almost five years after the end of a three-decade The US$2.01 million North East Water, Sanitation, civil conflict, Sri Lanka is now focusing on long-term and Hygiene Project (NE-WASH), supported by the strategic and structural development challenges as Australian Government’s Department of Foreign it strives to transition to an upper middle-income Affairs and Trade (DFAT), has tackled these critical country. issues of improving access to safe water and sanitation services through building infrastructure which will Important achievements have been made towards provide water for both drinking and planting, as well poverty reduction and shared prosperity, as well as toilets to improve sanitation. as towards achieving universal primary education, gender equality and improved maternal health. The project has provided water to at least 8,800 However, combating other perennial problems, such people and has the opportunity of reaching up to as malnutrition, high child mortality, unsafe drinking 15,800 residents as more of them return to their water and limited basic sanitation, remains slow. homes in the northern and eastern provinces. As many as 517 families have benefitted from a In the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, sanitation grant to construct latrines. In addition, the characterized by small towns and rural communities, project has contributed to strengthening the capacity access to safe water and sanitation facilities has been of local government bodies (in alignment with the affected by underinvestment in water infrastructure Government of Sri Lanka’s Rural Water Supply Policy), due to decades of conflict. Given that the northern enabling them to provide infrastructure which will and eastern provinces are situated in the dry zone deliver a sustainable water supply to communities in of the country, the community’s access to natural this region. sources of water are even further restricted. South Asia region challenges their specific mandates and responsibilities for the delivery of local services. In the water sector, Despite the fact that most of Sri Lanka’s population policies and practices are now fully aligned with has access to safe drinking water and sanitation1, the GoSL’s Rural Water Supply (RWS) Policy, and for many others the lack of these basic services is have led to innovative partnerships between local a challenge that affects their hygiene, health and government, communities and the local service overall well-being. Key remaining challenges include: providers and operators. Providing water and sanitation in post-conflict and rural areas approach The goal of NEP-WASH project was to increase • In Sri Lanka, water and sanitation service delivery accessibility to safe and sustainable pipe borne is far less prevalent for communities in small water supply and sanitation in order to complement towns and rural areas. The northern and eastern post-conflict housing reconstruction interventions in provinces are further affected from prolonged a selected number of rural communities within two underinvestment in water infrastructure due to districts of the northern and eastern provinces of Sri the conflict. Lanka. • Characterized by small towns and rural communities, the northern and eastern provinces The project also contributed towards the of the country are now also the home of families strengthening of mechanisms for the provision of and communities in transition from a conflict to a sustainable rural (small scale) water supply and post-conflict situation and therefore, and who are sanitation projects in the north and east by designing socially fragmented and economically deprived. and piloting appropriate institutional arrangements with properly defined roles for local government • Additionally, both the northern and eastern institutions, service providers and communities. provinces are situated in the dry zone of the country, and therefore, these communities’ access A key feature of the project was employing a to natural sources of water is far more limited participatory approach to ensure a more sustainable than in other parts of the country. and efficient service-delivery mechanism which is closer to the people who directly benefit from the Strengthening local agencies for service service. Therefore, the project design recommended delivery that the water supply schemes be implemented, • With the conclusion of internal conflict in 2009, operated and maintained by stakeholders at the the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) began to lowest, yet appropriate level of the community. increase investment in development interventions in the northern and eastern provinces to facilitate the resettlement of internally-displaced persons in their original places of residence. As part of this effort, several rural water sector projects have been completed and more are being successfully implemented. • These projects have also introduced differing concepts for development, operation and maintenance of infrastructure which in few cases were inconsistent with the broader development agenda of the country. • In response, the GoSL, operating in a post-conflict environment, is trying to strengthen all levels of government, particularly, local government institutions so that they can effectively fulfill 1 In Sri Lanka, 78% of the population has access to safe drinking water and 85% has access to sanitation 2 The project from the beginning of its planning realized results that simply building these facilities may not maximize The NE-WASH project was implemented in 16 their effectiveness. To provide local communities conflict-affected communities within the district with a greater voice and input into their decision- of Mannar (ten villages) in the Northern Province making processes, Water Users Associations (WUAs) and the district of Trincomalee (six villages) in the were established to make decisions and to advocate Eastern Province, where internally-displaced persons about the social, economic, and health benefits of have returned to build their lives and livelihood. safe drinking water and sanitation at within their community: By enabling access to water services, the NE- WASH project has contributed to the improvement • Community discussions were held in villages of hygiene practices and to the overall health and to provide basic knowledge and understanding quality of life for over 4,400 households in Sri Lanka. of how a water supply scheme is operated and Specific results include: maintained by WUA and village community and how to strength community participation for • Nine water supply schemes were designed with project sustainability. the capacity of providing water to over 4,400 • In order to cover the expected monthly expenses, households (or over 15,000 people), of which a tariff plan was suggested by the community, 30% were women-headed households) increasing taking into account the needs of different access to water services in 16 villages in the community members, which often consist in the Northern and Eastern districts. middle classes and the poor, marginalized groups. • 571 toilets were built by communities using the • Residents provided some labor to build the water Sanitation Revolving Fund. infrastructure, organized themselves into Water • 11 schools were provided with improved water User Associations (WUA) to make decisions, and quality and latrines which has enhanced student benefited from hygiene education and awareness comfort and health. Students were also educated programs. in hygiene habits such as the washing of hands before and after eating meals at school. The “Community input, and involvement is critical latrines were built by the School Development to the success of the project. These rural water Society with supervision of the project’s engineers supply schemes are managed and maintained and technical officers. by the communities after construction, so adequate training for the community to take on The project has contributed to strengthening the the operation and maintenance of the scheme capacity of local government bodies enabling them is also critical for long term operations and to deliver sustainable water supply infrastructure in sustainability of their schemes,” said project alignment with Sri Lanka’s Rural Water Supply Policy leader Shideh Hadian. (If possible, include number of stakeholders have benefited through capacity building). testimonial: a resident in the village of nilapola “I did not have a toilet before. The Water User Association helped me, through incentive sanitation grant, to construct a toilet next to my home for the convenience of my children. I dream of having a tiled shower attached to the toilet.” 3 partners moving forward The NE-WASH project was financed by the Australian Although the NE-WASH Project closed on June 30, Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and 2014, the project team is in the process of preparing Trade (DFAT) (total contribution US$ ) and the World a scale-up project in Sri Lanka’s lagging regions and Bank (total contribution US$ ). Both institutions have districts, with particularly high levels of poverty, to collaborated on working in the post-conflict regions increase access to sustainable piped water services of Sri Lanka with a focus of improving local service and sanitation and to improve general hygiene delivery, particularly, for people returning home after behavior. The planned project has an investment the long period of conflict. Special attention has been component for piped water supply and improved given to improving access for vulnerable groups — sanitation in about seven districts for small towns, including women, disabled individuals and other rural and Estates sub-sectors. These districts are socially-excluded persons. identified through objective ranking based on access to water supply and climatic conditions (i.e., those in Key partners in the implementation process of the the dry zone). The project also includes a technical project were the Sri Lanka National Water Supply assistance (TA) and capacity building component for and Drainage Board of the Ministry of Water the stakeholders. Supply and Drainage, the Pradeshiya Sabha’s (Local Government Authorities), the Water User Associations as representatives of the communities. The North East Housing Reconstruction Programme assisted Sri Lanka’s authorities in the pre-selection of the villages participating in the project. partners This results series highlights development results, operational innovations and lessons emerging from the Trust Funds and Partnerships program of the World Bank South Asia region. It is produced by the Trust Funds team of the South Asia’s Development Effectiveness unit. Disclaimer: The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.