South Tarawa Water Supply Project

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The objectives of the South Tarawa Water Supply Project for Kiribati are to increase access to and quality of water supply services, and to improve the operational performance of the water supply services provider, in South Tarawa. The project has five objectives. (1) Improvement of Water Supply Services component will improve access and quality of water supply services in South Tarawa, and to increase resilience of the services to climate change. (2) Institutional Strengthening and Implementation Support component will contribute to the sustainability of water-related investments funded under Component 1 and to help improve the operational efficiency and financial viability of Public Utilities Board. (3) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Awareness component will support the formulation and implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene awareness activities, which will consist of a comprehensive and intensive 5-year WASH Awareness Program (WAP). The WAP is critical to support significant transformations in the population’s water use and behavior that are key to project success, such as: a) restoring confidence towards PUB and the quality of its supplied water; b) deterring further use of unsafe water sources for consumptive use; c) raising awareness of the volumetric tariff and stimulating payment for water according to metered consumption; d) conserving water despite its apparent abundance at the tap; and e) changing behaviors linked to sanitation, hygiene, menstrual hygiene management, and solid waste management in a nutrition-sensitive manner. (4) Project Management Unit component will strengthen the management capacity of the PMU to monitor and administer Project implementation. (5) Sanitation Pilots component will support (a) the design and construction of onsite or small decentralized sanitation systems and fecal sludge management systems, and (b) the provision of technical assistance and training tocommunity-based organizations and other stakeholders involved in the implementation and management of the sanitation and fecal sludge management facilities.