Institutional strengthening of water supply and sanitation utilities in Kabul, Herat and Kunduz

Project details
Country: 
Afghanistan
Beneficiary: 
Ministry of Urban Development and Housing
Donor organisation: 
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH
Associated enterprises: 
Kocks Consult GmbH
Department: 
Water
Project volume: 
2,340,560 €
Currency: 
€
Value of services: 
2,293,749 €
Start of project: 
August, 2005
End of project: 
October, 2008
Project description: 

The improvement of urban water services is a top priority of the Afghanistan Government. Of the 38 urban centres (34 provincial capitals and 4 other towns), only some 14 had established water systems operated and administered by the Central Authority for Water Supply and Sewerage (CAWSS) at the start of this project. The local supply organisations, which were still subordinate branches of CAWSS, were not able to operate the systems appropriately and lacked the capacity to develop their local infrastructure to meet needs. With an average 20%, the number of households having access to piped water connections was generally very low.

As part of the reform of the urban water sector, CAWSS was to be corporatised and renamed Afghanistan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Corporation (AUWSSC). AUWSSC was to be the main holding organisation; the operating entities in the cities were to become strategic business units of AUWSSC to perform in accordance with Memoranda of Understanding to be concluded with AUWSSC.

The project was carried out in close cooperation with German Financial Cooperation that supported infrastructure rehabilitation and extension in the three cities.

 

Service description: 
  • Support of MUDH in drafting an institutional development plan and a water sector policy paper.
  • Supporting the design of appropriate organisational structures for AUWSSC Headquarters and the three urban utilities
  • Introduction of business planning.
  • Improvement of accounting and financial management systems. Introduction of computerised systems.
  • Introduction of an efficient customer management, billing and collection system.
  • Improvement and systematising of customer relations.
  • Start-up of the systematic recording and documentation of technical installations.
  • Introduction of adequate procedures for technical operation and maintenance of facilities (in cooperation with KfW).
  • Further development of tariff structures under consideration of poverty oriented concepts.
  • Introduction of systematic human resources planning, recruitment and development. Development of job descriptions.
  • Practical training of staff (in coordination with other donor programmes)
  • Development of concepts for monitoring and protection of water resources which are relevant for drinking water supply.
  • Development and implementation of supply concepts for satellite towns located within the service area of the utilities.
Objectives: 

The objective of the project was to enable the water supply and sewerage utilities in Kabul and the provincial cities of Herat and Kunduz to operate in a customer focussed manner and according to commercial principles.

Currency: 
€