UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 4 August 2008 -- The World Bank signed two new loan agreements with Nicaragua. These agreements will seek to support the country’s efforts to improve the access of water and sanitation services in rural areas of the country and to enhance the business climate for micro, small, and medium enterprises.  

Specifically, these two agreements represent US$40 million in credits from the International Development Association (IDA).  

One of the agreements extends a US$20 million zero-interest credit in order to support the government in the improvement of water and sanitation services in rural areas. 

The second agreement also provides a US$20 million zero-interest credit – in this case, to help enhance the competitiveness of MSME’s by improving the business climate that affects those firms.

In terms of the first agreement - improving basic water and sanitation services for people in rural areas is one of the key aims of Nicaragua’s National Development Plan.

The Nicaragua Rural Water and Sanitation Project, in particular, seeks to increase access by project beneficiaries to sustainable water and sanitation services in the country's two autonomous regions on the Atlantic Coast, RAAS (Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur) and RAAN (Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte). 

Located along with the Alto Coco and Bocay region, these two regions have the lowest levels of water and sanitation coverage in the country. They also have a large indigenous population. 

Overall, the Project aims to support the government’s interest to promote the sustainability of water and sanitation infrastructure and service expansion in rural areas through expanded community participation and education, and the coordination of agencies such as Fondo de Inversión Social de Emergencia (FISE) and the municipalities.

The Project is expected to have a particularly positive impact on the women and children sector of the local population in these rural areas because they are ones who are traditionally tasked with fetching water from distantly located water sources.

Labels: United Nations, U.N., MaximsNews WATER, MaximsNewsWATER, water, Kathy Shandling, Nicaragua, World Bank, sanitation, water and sanitation, water supply, international development, environment, water news, water sustainability, water resource, water management, global water crisis, sustainable development 

 

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