Decentralized Sustainable and Resilient Rural Water and Sanitation Project

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The project design addresses the volatile and fragile situation of Haiti by encompassing a spectrum of activities from emergency response to cholera and priority water supply infrastructure development to supporting the foundations for decentralized sustainable service delivery at scale as well as results-based sector wide strengthening. The project aims to support key policy and institutional reforms that are already spelled out in the 2009 sector reform but have yet to become operational in practice. These include: (i) strengthening emergency preparedness and response, (ii) transferring the WSS project cycle at the local level, (iii) shifting the focus from infrastructure development to resilient and sustainable service delivery at scale (iv) redeploying DINEPA from service provider to facilitating and regulating sector development to achieve universal access in accordance with SDG 6. The project will benefit the population living in rural areas and small towns in project areas. It is estimated that 250.000 people will benefit from increased access to basic water services and 125.000 from increased access to basic sanitation services, as well as improved resilience to climate-change-exacerbated droughts, flooding and cyclones. Potential benefits include reduction of time spent on water collection, reduction in waterborne diseases, and overall health and environmental benefits for all direct beneficiaries, of which at least 50% will be women. The project’s social inclusion approach in sub-project project planning and implementation will support maximizing the number of women, girls, and persons with disabilities as beneficiaries. The Project Development Objective will be achieved through four components: • Component 1: WASH Response to Cholera and Emergency Preparedness to support (i) immediate cholera response measures, (ii) strengthening sanitation and hygiene in priority cholera-affected communes and (iii) building WASH sector capacity for emergency response. • Component 2: WASH Service Development to support inclusive, sustainable, and resilient WASH services through (i) the construction, rehabilitation, and expansion of priority water supply networks in communes with sub-projects that can be rapidly implemented based on existing community mobilization and studies, technical as well as environmental and social (E&S) and (ii) the preparation and implementation of demand-driven, inclusive, and climate-informed commune WASH service improvement plans (WASH-SIPs) to: (a) restore and/or improve the level of service of existing WS systems; (b) improve public sanitation services; (c) protect water resources; and (d) enhance communities’ water and food security in communes, throughout the country.• Component 3: Sector Wide Results-based Strengthening to support (i) project management; (ii) sector institutions strengthening to consolidate the programmatic sector-wide results-based approach to improve sector planning, budgeting, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, accountability, regulation and (iii) DINEPA structure to accelerate sustainable service delivery at scale. • Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response to provide, upon request from the Government of Haiti, a rapid response in the event of an eligible emergency.