Water and Sanitation Project Moldova (ApaSan)

Goals and objectives

The rural population in Moldova seriously lacks access to safe water supply and sanitation. People in rural areas suffer much worse conditions than their urban counterparts, and within rural areas, it is the poorest and weakest groups that have lowest access to good services. The water and sanitation sector institutions and local governments in Moldova faces serious challenges in better responding to the needs of the rural population. The objective of the ApaSan was that Moldovan institutions at all levels respond to the needs for water supply and sanitation services of the rural population, including the most vulnerable, ethnic minorities, youth and women. The project’s main approach was to create favourable conditions for up-scaling of the services delivery models for rural water and sanitation developed since 2001.

In the third and last phase (2015-2019), ApaSan worked to achieve the following changes in Moldovan sector institutions to improve overall governance of water and sanitation:

• National level institutions plan investments, fund water supply and sanitation infrastructure, and provide technical assistance to rural municipalities for implementation and operation
• Small local and multi-municipal/regional operators provide water and sanitation services of adequate quality to rural communities  
• Relevant actors (sector specialists, educational/research institutions, national funds, etc.) apply innovative solutions that address technical, managerial and inclusiveness issues for rural WS&S

The overall strategy of the project was to enable Moldovan institutions to respond better to the needs of the rural population for water supply and sanitation services. The main instruments applied for the transfer of know-how, as well as strengthening and building capacities of partner institutions included technical assistance and training of staff of partner institutions as well as co-financing and joint implementation of water supply and sanitation projects.  

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Provided services and achieved results

Skat Consulting Ltd. provided all services to implement the project’s outputs through the project team in Moldova and backstopping staff from headquarters. These services and the achieved results include:

• Support national agencies in coordinating approaches for country wide strategic water and sanitation planning and support establishment of the plans – tools developed and national approach for strategic planning agreed  
• Support national funds that invest in rural water and sanitation infrastructure to establish  monitoring systems for effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of investments – partnership with national funds and new co-financing arrangements developed for sustainability of investments
• Transfer all knowledge on school sanitation to national and district health, education and environmental authorities, to enable them promoting hygienic, comfortable, inclusive and environmentally safe sanitation facilities in rural schools - Public health and educational authorities endorsed and disseminated the Guideline on School Sanitation, civil society empowered to voice their needs linked to better school sanitation
• Support to CALM in providing continuous advice and training services on technical, managerial and inclusiveness issues to small local water and sanitation operators – support services provided to more than 100 LPAs/operators
• Support small municipalities and urban utilities to conclude contracts for delegation of water and sanitation services from small rural municipalities to multi-municipal/regional operators – new service provision arrangement with 9 contracts of delegation of services signed
• Develop, document and disseminate innovative solutions for rural water supply and sanitation addressing technical, managerial and inclusiveness issues – set of innovative solutions documented and disseminated (see www.apasan.md)  
• Facilitate the Moldovan Community of Practice (CoP) for water supply and sanitation and ensure the transfer of lead and ownership to its members – independent vibrant knowledge platform
• Assure specific attention to vulnerable groups – localities reflecting the ethnic diversity of the country including Gagauzia and Transnistria, strategy to address equal rights, good practices in inclusion and non-discrimination
• Manage the implementation of infrastructure projects, through preparing infrastructure projects on technical and social levels, procuring construction works either directly or jointly with partner intuitions, ensuring construction supervision and quality control, working with communities and authorities to establish sustainable operating structures  

Modalities and approaches in project implementation

• Water and sanitation sector as an entry point for improved governance;
• Developed policy influencing strategy to ensuring long-term policy influencing planning;
• Use of the country system to the maximum extent possible;
• Fostering ownership and sustainability with national/local co-financing and citizens’ participation.