Financial

Quick disbursing budget support is an effective instrument to respond to a crisis. Such an approach allows for strong alignment with government priorities and supports the government's ownership of the response measures. The eligibility criteria provide the necessary framework for due diligence. Timely upstream support can then be complemented with other forms of support–technical assistance, knowledge work, project investments–to reinforce the intended impact.

Sound identification and valuation of costs and benefits in the economic analysis can provide more realistic economic internal rates of return (EIRRs) to indicate a more accurate state of project viability. The economic analysis in the RRP and PCR underestimated the value of the project outputs, particularly the economic benefits of the solid waste management component, which led to a low EIRR. Willingness-to-pay $2 per month for solid waste removal seems too low and unreasonable considering the substantial health and environmental benefits that such removal likely provides.

Not considering adequate funding options and provisions for operations and maintenance (O&M) during the design phase can lead to sustainability issues after project completion. It is critical that a systematic plan for O&M design and measures are developed at the outset, considering the agencies' financial capabilities and attendant risks such as low levels of tariff rates.

Assessment of potential political risks such as a change in government and identifying mitigation measures could help ensure the continuity of planned project activities, specifically when there is strong support, ownership, and commitment of an agency. In particular, it is important to consider the speed and direction of change in the policy regime. For example, a shift in the government priorities could trigger resource allocation that could potentially affect how a project could deliver its intended development results.

Early preparation and set up of funding design and mechanisms to meet the financial requirements of facilities and equipment's operation and maintenance after project completion can mitigate sustainability risks of project investments. In this project, there was no clarity on how maintenance of project infrastructure and equipment were to be funded after project completion. Thus, it reduces the project's sustainability.

Potential problems with funding the maintenance of completed subprojects and/or facilities arise when they highly rely on government budgetary allocations that may or may not materialize in the short- and medium-terms. This can lead to poor periodic maintenance, especially for road routine maintenance. In future projects, consideration could be given to performance-based road maintenance contracts where a period of maintenance is included (e.g., 5 years after completion) in the contracts.

With the project's investment in improving wastewater treatment, solid waste management and recycling, an opportunity arose to establish and impose full cost recovery tariffs and charges for these activities. Appropriate tariff studies could have been undertaken and with recommendations for replication in other towns.

Allowances for possible cost increases in civil works can mitigate the effects of unforeseen geological conditions.

Estimation of the project cost requires a greater anticipation of potential cost overrun/underrun that may arise during implementation. During appraisal, a more in-depth examination and consideration of factors related to currency depreciation permits a more robust and realistic cost estimates. Under this project, a substantial loan amount was cancelled due to the rupee depreciation. A careful financial planning and cost projections coupled with risk mitigation measures and monitoring allows for better utilization of loan proceeds.

State-owned banks are often used for policy lending that target specific sectors offering low interest rates and preferential terms. It is important that during project preparation, financial intermediaries selected are aligned with the market-based approach of FIL projects to avoid crowding out subloans and nonparticipation of selected intermediaries in lending to the target sector.