ADB Aids TimorLeste with Drinking Water in District Capitals

ADB to Help Timor-Leste Improve Drinking Water in District Capitals

Dili, Timor-Leste, 28 October, 2011 - Timor-Leste and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a grant worth $11 million to help Timor-Leste carry out reforms to improve the safety and quality of drinking water in the district capitals of Manatuto and Pante Macasar.

A signing ceremony was held in the capital Dili. Emilia Pires, Minister of Finance from the Government of Timor-Leste and Craig Sugden, Resident Representative of ADB’s Special Office in Timor-Leste were signatories at the ceremony.

The grant will fund the District Capitals Water Supply Project which will contribute to reducing water related diseases, particularly for children under five. The project aims to rehabilitate and expand the Manatuto and Pane Macasar water supply systems and to provide people with more information on the efficient use of water and safe hygiene practices. Upon completion, the rehabilitated water supply systems will have the capacity to provide clean water to about 30,500 people. The project is part of the government’s plan to provide 24-hour access to safe drinking water in all district capitals.

In addition, the project will restore Lehumo Lake as a viable water source and mitigate the erosion of the gully formed when the lake banks failed and the lake was drained in 2003. With the involvement of the community, the project will rehabilitate the embankments and plant 15,000 trees to reduce erosion.

“The project will provide a 24-hour water supply to the target areas,” said Mr. Sugden. “The project will lessen the workload of women, as they are the main household members who collect, store and boil water and take care of children who are the most affected by water borne diseases. In Lehumo Lake, the restoration of water levels will improve opportunities for farming and fishing in these communities, which are among the poorest in the country.”

The project will help women by involving them in decision making, encouraging contractors to hire them for labor-intensive construction jobs, and targeting them through hygiene awareness campaigns.

The Ministry of Infrastructure is the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion by December 2016. ADB is financing 77% of the project’s total cost. The Government of Timor-Leste is contributing $3.32 million. ADB and the government may provide additional financing in the future to expand the project to other district capitals.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2010, it approved a total of $13.8 billion in financing operations through loans, grants, guarantees, equity investments, and technical assistance projects. ADB also mobilized cofinancing amounting to $3.7 billion.

ENDS