Viet Nam: provincial towns water supply and sanitation : completion report

In 1991, the Asian Development Bank assisted the Vietnamese government to prepare a project to rehabilitate and expand town water supply stems in the provincial capital towns of Long Xuyen, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Pleiku, Thai Nguyen and Thanh Hoa/Sam Son.

The project objectives were : 1) expanding the availability of piped safe water supply and sanitation facilities to urban residents and consumers and improve health conditions, 2) reducing water losses, 3) strengthening the institutional capabilities of water supply companies (WSCs) to operate and maintain their facilities on a sustainable basis, and 4) implementing low-cost sanitation and community environmental health education and sanitation programs in the project towns.

The project scope and appraisal comprised rehabilitation and upgrading of headworks, rehabilitation and expansion of distribution systems and sanitation and drainage systems, and implementation support and institutional development. Technical assistance to complement project implementation was provided for capacity building for provincial water supply and sanitation management and for community environmental health improvements for the provincial towns. Despite an initial delay and a 2-year extension for the loan closing, overall, the project was successful. WSCs are now technically operational and have expanded access to safe water supply and sanitation, with 24-hour supply and improved service coverage in the project towns.

An extensive list of lessons learned, recommendations and a quantitative assessment of overall project performance is provided.