The Mekong River Catchment Water and Sanitation Initiative (MEK-WATSAN)
Greater Makong Subregion and Mekong River
The Mekong River Basin is the catchment area of the Mekong River and its tributaries in six countries. Over a length of 4200-km the Mekong river passes from its origins in the Highlands of Tibet to its estuary in the South China Sea (the Mekong delta) through the Yunnan Province of the People's Republic of China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. About 60-65 Million people are living in the approximately 795,000 sq. kilometres of the Mekong River catchment. This population depends more or less directly on the Mekong and its tributaries for food, water, transport and many other aspects of their daily lives.
Upon request from the Ministers of Mekong riparian countries responsible for water, an important new component of the WAC Programme is currently being developed. It is called "Water and Sanitation Infrastructure in Secondary Towns in the Mekong Region in Support of MDGs" (MEK-WATSAN).
Programme Objectives
The main objective for participating countries is improved access to water and sanitation services in poor urban communities of selected secondary cities.The main aim is :
to achieve pro-poor water and sanitation investments in selected secondary urban centres in the Mekong River Catchment Region;
to operationalise upstream sector reforms at the local level in the participating human settlements with the aim of enhancing efficiency;
to enhance economic development in small urban centres through improved water and sanitation, as well as related income generating activities
to promote economic development for the Mekong River Catchment through enhanced cooperation between riparian countries.
Major Issues
Urbanization
This rapid process of urbanization is posing severe challenges for many cities and towns in the region. Problems faced are poor economic performance, deteriorating water and sanitation services, poor management of solid wastes, public transport, crime, violence and natural disasters.
Many of the secondary towns are frequently neglected in national/regional development plans.
Poverty
A large number of people in the Mekong River are still living on less than a dollar a day and the Lower Mekong Basin remains among the poorest regions in the world. Growing demand for adequate water supply and sanitation services as well as the lack of financial resources and capacity among local authorities will lead to an increasing need to address water and sanitation issues to bridge the gaps in the service provision in this sector and thus to achieve MDGs.
The people of the Lower Mekong Basin remain, in terms of per capita income, among the poorest in the world. Excepting Thailand, nominal per capita income ranges from US$254 in Cambodia to US$354 in Vietnam. Between 33 and about 40% of the population in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam live beneath the poverty line.
Even for Thailand, the wealthiest of the four Lower Mekong Basin countries, poverty remains a critical issue. The Thai population living within the Mekong Basin area lag far behind the rest of the country in socio-economic status (Map 2) . Cambodia and Lao PDR are facing worst conditions regarding poverty issues. Here 36% and 40% of the respective population. For all four countries the incidence of poverty in rural areas is much higher than in urban areas, this is especially pronounced in Vietnam, where 9% of the urban population and in comparison 45% of the rural population are living in poverty (Tab. 2)
Percentage of Population below poverty line in the Greater Mekong Subregion
UN-HABITAT Approach
UN-HABITAT is striving to complement ongoing programmes particularly regional components of the programmes through close co-operation with the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and other regional partners. Another natural partner is the Greater Mekong Sub-region Programme of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Other partners are educational institutions, bilateral agencies, professional networks, NGOs and CBOs.
Strategy for Rapid Assessment includes assessing the state of water and sanitation infrastructure, quantifying the infrastructure investment needs to attain the MDGs, identifying capacity building needs, developing infrastructure business plans for selected towns, and assessing the needs and wishes of the low-income population. The phased approach focuses on Assessment and Consultation Phase, Project Development Phase and the Implementation Phase.
Town Hall Meetings and Consultations
Town Hall meetings involving relevant officers such as the Mayor, heads of departments relevant for the survey - health, water, sanitation and waste disposal, chief engineer of the water utility, municipal councilors and others.
Task Groups/National Steering Groups
The country governments have to take initiative to form task groups or steering committees, comprising key professionals and responsible officers to oversee the implementation of the initiative.
Political level Consultations
Senior staff from UN-Habitat and regional consultants will brief government officials, regional partners, key diplomatic missions and donors in order to coordinate the MEK-WATSAN-Initiative.
The Step ahead
An inception workshop was held from 18th to 21st February 2005 in Bangkok, and arrangement on major features of the programme was achieved among participants.
In 2005, two or three secondary cities per country are to be pre-selected for rapid assessment, household and community survey, elaboration of investment plans, identification of capacity building needs. In parallel with other ongoing work, the next step would be the selection of additional project towns in the Mekong River Catchment. Based on the initial assessment, UN-HABITAT in consultation with governments, will select additional secondary towns in each country. In all secondary cities finally selected for involvement in MEK-WATSAN investment plans will be developed.
Pre Selection and later Selection Factors
Population size & geographical distribution in the basin; urbanization/migration rate etc.
Level of water and sanitation service coverage, particularly among MDG target groups
Priority given to the city in the country’s national development or investment plans.
Bangkok inception workshop was a takeoff point for the consultation process in participating countries, pre-selection of municipalities, sharing of policy analysis, starting work in roughly two to three pre-selected municipalities per country, formulation of a programme document, and submitting this to WATSAN Trust Fund and interested bilateral donors and finally, signing of MoU with individual countries for programme implementation.
