Also available in: Urdu
News Release No. 2005/145/SAR
Contacts:
In Islamabad
Shahzad Sharjeel (051) 2279641
Email: SSharjeel@worldbank.org
In Washington, D.C.:
Karina Manasseh (202) 473-1729
Email: KManasseh@worldbank.org
ISLAMABAD, November 10, 2004—The World Bank-administered Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) will provide US $1.1 million grant to Lodhran Pilot Project (LPP), a local NGO, for sanitation in 100 villages of district Lodhran, Punjab. The fund is provided by the Government of Japan. The LPP has won the grant for providing underground sanitation system along with disposal stations in Tehsils of Lodhran, Dunyapur and Kheror Pucca.
"This community based sanitation project will benefit 160,000 people in 20,000 households living in 100 villages", says Jahangir Khan Tareen, Chairman of LPP. "Local communities will be involved in project design, implementation and maintenance. Village Sanitation Committees (VSCs) will eliminate the role of contractors."
The project will also train 150 engineers in participatory development methodology, introduce the community sanitation approach in local technical colleges and build capacity of 400 local government functionaries in community driven approach to development.
"The Lodhran Pilot Project has developed a fantastic approach to low cost community sewer systems" says John Wall, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. "In the project I visited, a household could connect to a public sewer system for only Rs 500. The operation and maintenance is so simple that the community can manage it by themselves . The total cost was only Rs1,500 per household. This approach has been inspired by the ideas of Akhtar Hamid Khan, Pakistan’s great community development gift to the world."
The grant agreement was signed by Jahangir Tareen and John Wall at a ceremony held at the World Bank office in Islamabad. Nobuaki Tanaka, Ambassador of Japan, and representatives of the Government of Pakistan were also present at the occasion. "Improving sanitation is a priority in Japan’s economic cooperation towards Pakistan", says Ambassador Tanaka. "It is a matter of great pleasure that the Japan funded JSDF is utilized for the betterment of community sewer systems in an innovative fashion involving local communities fully."
To learn more about the JSDF grants please visit
www.worldbank.org/rmc/jsdf/
|
RSS