The Project Performance Assessment Report (PPAR) of the “Nepal Second Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project” evaluates the achievements and challenges of the project implemented between 2004 and 2012. The report assesses the project’s success in improving rural water supply and sanitation, fostering community-led initiatives, and enhancing institutional performance while analyzing its broader impact on public health, hygiene, and productivity in rural Nepal.
Key Highlights:
- Project Objectives:
- Improve rural water supply and sanitation sector performance.
- Mainstream the Fund-Board approach in government systems.
- Support communities to form inclusive Water Supply and Sanitation User Groups (WSUGs) to manage sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure.
- Major Achievements:
- Water and Sanitation Coverage: Benefited over 1.1 million people with improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
- Community-Led Initiatives: Formed 1,465 WSUGs, with significant female participation (41% of WSUG members were women). WSUGs planned and implemented 1,465 schemes.
- Health and Hygiene Improvements: Incidence of diarrhea among children under five significantly decreased in project areas. Over 137,000 latrines were built, with additional community-driven contributions.
- Time Savings: Reduced water-fetching time by an average of 2.1 hours per household per day, improving household productivity.
- Challenges and Lessons Learned:
- Institutional sustainability was undermined by weak integration of WSUGs into government structures, leading to operational challenges post-project.
- Community contribution to operation and maintenance (O&M) costs often fell short, emphasizing the need for explicit O&M plans during project preparation.
- Water quality monitoring and wastewater management require stronger emphasis to ensure long-term sustainability.
- Ratings:
- Outcome: Moderately Satisfactory.
- Efficiency: Substantial, with an economic rate of return (ERR) of 31.05%.
- Risk to Development Outcomes: Significant, due to weak integration and insufficient government adoption of the Fund-Board approach.
Note on Preparation
This report was prepared by Arun Arya, Senior Evaluation Officer and Task Manager, with support from Madhu Sudan Gautam, Consultant, who assessed the project during a field mission to Nepal in November–December 2016. Their work highlights the project’s contributions and challenges while offering lessons for future community-driven initiatives.