Chattogram Water Supply Improvement Project

active

The project (Phase I of the Bangladesh Water Security and WSS MPA) will support the Government of Bangladesh in achieving the SDG Goal 6 and advance the utility reform agenda ensuring long-term sustainability of Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) service provision in Chattogram. The MPA will comprise four phases spanning over nine years (2024-2033) to support 15 cities with an estimated 20 million beneficiaries. The program framework includes three mutually reinforcing categories of interventions: (i) strengthen institutions and policies for planning, service delivery and regulations, (ii) improve infrastructure and service delivery systems, and (iii) enhance financial sustainability and access to finance for capital and operational expenditures. Phase 1 of the MPA will lay the foundation of implementing this framework by implementing important activities across all three categories in Chattogram and introducing the performance orientation in Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority's (CWASA) operations through Performance Based Conditions (PBCs) for accessing IDA resources. The project builds on the achievements of the previous Bank-funded Chittagong Water Supply Improvement and Sanitation Project (CWSISP) that closed on December 31, 2020 by financing investment in infrastructure and by supporting institutional strengthening. The project will include: (a) expansion of the water distribution system, following the District Metered Area (DMA) concept to enable efficient, reliable and equitable water supply to all customers within the utility’s service area; (b) expansion of water supply and non-network sanitation services in Low-income Communities (LIC); and (c) support to strengthen the Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority's (CWASA) utility systems, financial performance and creditworthiness including tariff roadmap, and building CWASA’s capacity for planning, delivering, and managing WSS services. The proposed project provides emphasis on improving service delivery and institutional sustainability while scaling up access.