103623 THE ZIMBABWE WATER FORUM June 2013 POLICY NOTE 5 Page 1 The Zimbabwe Water Forum provides a platform for Government and Development Partners to share international best practices in the water sector between Zimbabwe and other countries. The forum was formed through a partnership between the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management, the Multi-Donor Trust Fund and the World Bank and is hosted by the World Bank’s Zimbabwe Country Office and the Urban WSS Thematic Group. The Beitbridge Emergency Water Supply and Sanitation Project The problem: a health crisis created by poor and Sanitation Project to address these serious sanitation water and sanitation issues. Action was needed immediately to prevent another possible deadly The Beitbridge Emergency Water Supply and epidemic, but it was also critical to ensure that Sanitation Project was conceived in response to the improvements could be sustained with ongoing calamitous nationwide cholera epidemic of 2008–09 maintenance and more efficient operations. The that infected over 100,000 people and claimed focus was on physical investments in the water 4,300 lives. The town of Beitbridge was at the supply, wastewater, and solid waste management epicenter of the epidemic with 26 percent of the systems, coupled with actions total recorded cases. The cholera outbreak was to strengthen the institutional caused in large part by the dangerously degraded capacity of the Beitbridge state of the water and sanitation systems in Town Council (BTC) and the Zimbabwe: poor maintenance created leaks and Zimbabwe National Water overflows in the sanitation system, contaminating Authority (ZINWA). drinking water, and many households weren’t connected to the system at all. To make matters Activities were supported through a $2.65 million worse, inadequate drinking water treatment and Trust Fund Agreement, financed by the State and storage, coupled with erratic power supply, led to Peace Building Fund (SPF), which became effective serious water shortages. Without enough water for in March, 2011. flushing, the sewerage system was not functioning properly, with continual blockages and spills. The project aimed to improve access to sustainable Beitbridge also suffered from poor solid waste quality water supply and sanitation services in collection, with only Beitbridge through three components: about 30 percent of waste collected. 1. Treatment and Supply Rehabilitation Rubbish heaps piled up (US$1,035,500): investments in physical throughout the city, improvements to the abstraction system, water blocking drains and treatment works, and the water distribution further contaminating system the water supply. 2. Sewerage Treatment Rehabilitation and The response: a cooperative effort Improvement of Solid Waste Management (US$893,200): investments in physical upgrades The Government of Zimbabwe and the World Bank to the sewage treatment works and trunk created the Beitbridge Emergency Water Supply sewer conveyance system, and supply of goods THE ZIMBABWE WATER FORUM June 2013 POLICY NOTE 5 Page 2 for improving management of sewerage and With support from the project, the BTC solid waste systems also undertook non-structural activities that deepened the project’s impacts. 3. Strengthening Institutional Capacity This included: public health and hygiene (US$709,350): activities to strengthen the education sessions that contributed to capacity of the BTC and ZINWA for project behavioral change; the installation of new billing implementation, coordination, monitoring and software and a new system for meter reading, evaluation, and technical assistance for which led to more accurate and regular billing for engineering designs and supervision. the services; and improved systems for solid waste The BTC implemented the project, with ZINWA collection and management including the responsible for supervising the rehabilitation of the preparation of a feasibility study for a new land fill bulk water supply system. A Project Coordination site, prepared as part of the BTC’s priority Unit (PCU), which included representatives from investment plans. the BTC and ZINWA, undertook the day-to-day coordination of project activities, financial The residents of Beitbridge are healthier—with no management, procurement, monitoring and new cases of cholera—and are increasingly evaluation, reporting, and implementation of appreciative of the services being provided by the environmental and social safeguards. A Project council. There is a greater willingness to pay for Steering Committee with higher level services, and bill collection ratios and revenue representation from the BTC and ZINWA provided generation rates have improved significantly. The guidance and direction for key project decisions. An BTC is now in a better position financially to make engineering consultancy firm was hired by the BTC payments to ZINWA for the bulk supply of treated for planning, design, and construction supervision. water. Achievements: progress on several fronts The capacity of both the BTC and ZINWA has also been strengthened by the process of implementing Some 42,000 residents of Beitbridge benefitted the project. Regular staff were core project team directly from the project. Investments in the water members, and the knowledge and experience they supply system (e.g., dam/storage rehabilitation, gained, along with improved systems for and installation of new pumps, blowers, back-up procurement and financial management, will be generators, meters, and valves) increased the retained and further disseminated within the quality, duration, and reliability of the potable institutions. water supply. Upgrades to the trunk sewer system, rehabilitation of the treatment system, and new Lessons learnt: the success of the project leads maintenance equipment (e.g., high velocity the way forward cleansers) improved the collection, transmission, and safe disposal of wastewater. The town is also There is a strong demand for new projects to invest markedly cleaner in the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply thanks to improved and sanitation services in Zimbabwe, representing solid waste an opportunity for the Bank/Donor community to management deepen the development impact of the Beitbridge systems supported experience. Future projects should focus on further by the project, strengthening institutions, improving the delivery of including a new services, and enhancing the sustainability of refuse collection systems. When communities like Beitbridge are truck and two committed to achieving change, significant tractors. improvements can be made with limited resources to improve the health and well-being of community members. THE ZIMBABWE WATER FORUM June 2013 POLICY NOTE 5 Page 3 The success of the Beitbridge Project provides ways process of planning, implementing, and forward for future projects: supervising the project that will sustain operations over time. Future projects should  Small but strategic and targeted physical and consider having a separate implementing institutional investments can have a significant agreement to support and strengthen their impact. The $2.65 million project funds were capacity, independence, and position within the used effectively and efficiently to help curtail national mandate. the cholera epidemic and significantly improve  Special project design considerations can help water supply and sanitation services. make projects more effective. In order to  With an appropriate level of support and respond quickly to the assessed risk, and supervision, local governments of towns and because of the BTC’s limited capacity and the smaller cities can implement projects small size of contracts, this project benefitted effectively. The Bank’s help in providing from more relaxed procurement procedures, guidance and information to institutions about bidding documents, and qualification criteria for procedures before the project began helped to civil works, which allowed local contractors to minimize start-up delays. The BTC participate and streamlined the procurement of demonstrated its motivation, willingness to goods and services. learn, and capacity to effectively complete The Beitbridge Emergency Water Supply and project activities. Sanitation Project can be viewed as a model to be  Cooperation between institutions is critical to shared with other local councils in order to the success of the project. The BTC and ZINWA stimulate interest in similar projects while fine- proved to be capable and effective partners in tuning the process for effective, efficient, and the project. The staff of the BTC and ZINWA sustainable outcomes. developed skills and knowledge through the Project Facts Country: Zimbabwe Project Beitbridge Emergency Water Name: Supply and Sanitation project Financing SPF Grant Amount: US$ 2.65 million Instrument: Effectiveness: March, 2011 Closing: 12/31/2012 Recipient: Beitbridge Town Council Implementing BTC & ZINWA Agencies: PDO: Improve access to Components: 1. Treatment and Supply sustainable quality water Rehabilitation (US$1,035,500) supply and sanitation 2. Sewerage Treatment services in Beitbridge Rehabilitation and Improvement of Solid Waste Management (US$893,200) 3. Strengthening Institutional Capacity (US$709,350) THE ZIMBABWE WATER FORUM June 2013 POLICY NOTE 5 Page 4 Key Results Indicator Baseline (2010) Target (Dec Result (Dec 2012) 2012) Direct project beneficiaries (number) - 38,700 38,741 & percentage of which are female 52% female 52% female (%) Average hours of water supply 3 20 17.3 service per day (hours) People with access to “improved 0 94 77.8 water sources” under the project (%) People with access to “improved 20 87 80.7 sanitation” under the project (%) Solid waste collection efficiency (% 30 80 81.7 coverage) Operating cost coverage ratio for 30 100 94.3 targeted utilities (%) People trained to improve hygiene 0 4,000 8,400 behavior or sanitation practices under the project The Zimbabwe Water Forum Policy Notes Series Between 2011 and 2013, at the request of the Government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management, and with support from the Zimbabwe Analytical Multi-Donor Trust Fund, the World Bank has undertaken a series of analytical studies and technical assistance in the water and sanitation sector. These studies are captured in the Zimbabwe Water Forum Policy Note Series. The task team leader for the studies is Michael Webster, Sr. Water and Sanitation Specialist in Harare (mwebster@worldbank.org) with support from Priscilla Mutikani (pmutikani@worldbank.org). All notes have been edited by Rolfe Eberhard and Hilary Gopnik.  Policy Note 1: A 24/7 water supply is possible for Harare and other cities: Lessons on what it takes from water manager Neil Macleod  Policy Note 2: Modeling the water sector in South Africa and Zambia  Policy Note 3: Zimbabwe’s new National Water Policy: Responding to Challenges to Create a Foundation for Sustainable Growth  Policy Note 4: The Future of Sanitation in Harare and Other Cities: Perspectives on Possible Pathways to Recovery  Policy Note 5: The Beitbridge Emergency Water Supply and Sanitation Project: Lessons Learnt  Policy Note 6: Zimbabwe Urban Water Tariff Study  Policy Note 7: Improving the operations of Harare’s water and wastewater treatment plants  Policy note 8: Zimbabwe Dam Safety Study