Country Activities Report 2009
in the secondary urban towns around the Lake Victoria region. The LVWATSAN has been designed to achieve MDG targets for water and sanitation, taking into account all physical planning needs.The first phase of the initiative is addressing the needs of six towns with populations varying from 10,000 to 85,000. The second phase will cover an additional nine towns, one each from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and three each from Rwanda and Burundi. Objectives of the project are to: Support pro-poor water and sanitation investments in the secondary urban centres in Lake Victoria region. Build institutional and human resources capacities at local and regional levels for the sustainability of improved water and sanitation services. Facilitate benefits of upstream water sector reforms to reach the local level in the participating urban centres. Reduce the environmental impact of urbanization in the Lake Victoria basin Activities
The main activities include: Rehabilitate existing water and sanitation infrastructure systems and extend service coverage to the poor Undertake capacity building interventions for operational management to ensure sustainability at the local level Develop and operationalize mechanisms to bring the benefits to sector reforms to the local level Implement physical interventions that reduce sources of pollution into lake Victoria
Results
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The results have included: MoUs signed with the Governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. 24 sub-contracts and three cooperation agreements awarded for intervention works in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with a total value of over USD 6,000,000. By the end of December 2008, these interventions were scheduled to be completed to provide access to safe drinking water for 130,000 people, and improve sanitation to another 20,000. A Fast-Track Capacity Building Programme is being implemented by National Water & Sewerage Corporation for the Water Management Utility bodies in the towns of Kisii (Kenya), Homa Bay (Kenya), Bukoba (Tanzania) and Muleba (Tanzania) with the objective to enhance the capacity of the utility bodies in the management of water production, revenue collection and financial sustainability of the investments. A pilot rainwater harvesting project to address the drinking water needs of orphan-headed households was completed in December 2007 and has had an immediate impact, through the provision of safe drinking water to over 2,020 persons. Urban Inequality Survey (UIS) has been completed and an information system to monitor the progress in meeting the MDG targets for water and sanitation is being established. Urban plans have been completed for five of the seven pilot towns.