Afghanistan Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Institutional Support Project

The development objective of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Institutional Support Project for Afghanistan is to improve access to and quality of water supply in selected cities and to strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Corporation (AUWSSC) to deliver sustainable services in order to contribute to national efforts to manage Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other disasters. This project has five components. 1) The first component, COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Recovery, aims to support the national urban water utility AUWSSC to maintain vital water supply services in Afghanistan's three largest cities despite significant Coronavirus (COVID-19) related revenue shortfalls. 2) The second component, - Sector Reform, Institutional Strengthening, and Capacity Building, has the following sub-components: (i) Sector Reform and Strategic Planning; (ii) Improve Financial and Technical Performance of AUWSSC; (iii) Improve Social Accountability of AUWSSC; and (iv) Preparation of feasibility studies for the second project. 3) The third component, Enabling Inclusive Access to Safe Water, has the following sub-components: (i) Bulk Transmission Pipeline and Water Treatment Plant; (ii) rehabilitation and expansion of the water network in urban Kandahar; (iii) Consultancy services for the supervision service for the construction; and (iv) Consultancy services for the preparation of environmental and social impact assessments. 4) The fourth component, Project Management and Monitoring, aims to provide technical and operational assistance to support the AUWSSC Project Coordination Team (PCT) hosted within AUWSSC headquarters and the Project Implementation Units (PIU). 5) The fifth component, Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC), aims to improve the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA's) ability to respond effectively in the event of an emergency in line with World Bank procedures on disaster prevention and preparedness.