Afghanistan Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Institutional Support Project

active

The overall objective of the proposed Program is to improve access to safe water and sanitation in selected areas of Afghanistan as well as to strengthen sector capacity. This objective is expected to be achieved over a 12-year period through a Series of Projects (SoP), of which the operation detailed in this document is the first. The programmatic approach will ensure continuity of the sector engagement and also facilitate a sustained contribution to the Bank’s ongoing COVID-19 response. The World Bank has led a robust reaction to the pandemic in Afghanistan with a series of rapid relief projects, notably targeting the health sector, emergency agriculture and food supply and cash-support to vulnerable households. The proposed Program would complement this approach with emergency support to sustain critical water and hygiene services in priority cities under the first project, while also laying the basis for rebuilding better in the long-term. -The Program is expected to consist of three projects that will overlap in time and vary in geography, with a consistent component-level design to facilitate scaling-up. The three projects are expected to commence in 2021, 2026 and 2028, respectively. The anticipated duration of each project is expected to be five years. Overall SoP completion is expected by 2033. -The first of the series of projects (“SoP-1”, or “the project”) aims to safeguard essential water services in Afghanistan’s three largest cities (Kabul, Kandahar and Herat) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and to support a resilient, and sustainable recovery by expanding access to safe water and AUWSSC’s operational performance-The initial Relief phase of the project will focus on the implementation of COVID-19 Emergency Response and Recovery Plans (ERRPs), complemented by capacity building for AUWSSC and in particular the Strategic Business Units (SBUs) in the selected three cities to improve the utility's operational and financial performance. In order to address the long-term structural challenges of lack of water supply and groundwater depletion, and contribute to a resilient and sustainable recovery, the project will also undertake strategic capital investments with a focus on Kandahar city. The activities financed by the project will safeguard basic water supply in Kabul, Herat and Kandahar, contribute to the containment of COVID-19 and bolster the water sector’s resilience to future disease outbreaks and other disasters. Project ComponentsThe Project will consist of four components: Component 1 – COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Recovery: The project will support the national urban water utility AUWSSC to prevent service shutdowns in Afghanistan’s three largest cities due to COVID-19 related revenue shortfalls (approx. 50 percent year-on-year decrease, see Figure A.6, Annex 1) and disruptions to its field operations caused by the pandemic. Water supply and hygiene services are an essential part of preventing transmission and protecting human health during infectious disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. Protecting staff and assets and safeguarding AUWSSC’s existing operations is thus of critical importance. -Component 2 - Sector Reform, Institutional Strengthening, and Capacity Building: This component aims to strengthen the capacity of AUWSSC and its SBUs to deliver safe drinking water to the population in a financially sustainable manner. The institutional strengthening activities will, where appropriate, seek to promote and enhance private sector participation for efficient and sustainable service delivery. The technical assistance will provide general planning and institution-building support to improve AUWSSC’s operational performance in line with the PDO. In particular: (a) Sector Reform and Strategic Planning; (b) Improve Financial and Technical Performance of AUWSSC; (c) Improve Social Accountability of AUWSSC; (d) Preparation of feasibility studies for the second Project.- Component 3 - Enabling Inclusive Access to Safe Water : This component will finance the implementation of the water supply infrastructure required to improve access to and quality of water supply in Kandahar city while improving sustainability and climate resilience by reducing pressure on depleting aquifers. It will include the following sub-components: (a) Sub-Component 1.1 – Bulk Transmission Pipeline and Water Treatment Plant: This sub-component will finance the construction of phase 1 of this WTP with a capacity of 150,000 cubic meters per day. With associated booster station and service tanks. The project will also finance the construction of the bulk water transmission pipeline of approximately 30 kilometers length to convey water from the Dahla Dam to the new WTP. (b) Sub-Component 1.2 – Water Supply System in Kandahar City: The project will finance the rehabilitation and expansion of the piped water network in urban Kandahar, making up to 80,000 new connections (Residential, Institutional, Commercial and Industrial)) and up to 1,000 standpipes.-Component 4 – Project Management and Monitoring (US$ 6.0 million): This component will support the Project Coordination Team (PCT) hosted within AUWSSC and the Project Implementation Units (PIU) in the Kabul, Kandahar and Herat SBUs that will coordinate, implement, monitor and report on the project.