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Lesson
Clear horizontal and vertical roles for urban sector agencies are important under a multisector approach. A multisector approach in the urban sector is readily implementable in the Lao PDR, because, for the most part, subsectors are within the mandate of the ministry responsible for urban development and its provincial branches. The approach can be enhanced further with the inclusion of urban transport in urban projects. This would not be difficult, given the mandate of MPWT/DPWT.

Project Number: 33432-013
Project Name: Vientiane Urban Infrastructure and Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A demand-driven community approach facilitates better implementation. The village area improvement experience highlights the importance of proactive communities during the design, implementation, and maintenance of projects. The use of similar principles may be replicated or expanded for a larger set of beneficiaries. An important lesson from the village area improvement program is its use of a demand-driven approach to development instead of the top-down, supply-driven activities of the past.

Project Number: 33432-013
Project Name: Vientiane Urban Infrastructure and Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A balanced approach to urban land use ensures success. A “bottom-up” approach to urban land use could help avoid a potential overload of infrastructure and service networks due to overcrowding, pollution, increased poverty, and environmental degradation. Building on the success of the village area improvement initiative, in particular (but also community participation initiatives in earlier ADB-supported urban projects), support for community planning could complement and support higher level urban and regional plans.

Project Number: 33432-013
Project Name: Vientiane Urban Infrastructure and Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Difficult decentralization reforms will benefit from a systematic sector-wide approach to change. While building toward common reform agenda goals, several ADB initiatives toward decentralized urban governance were not adequately linked. This long process would have benefited from a comprehensive reform framework based on institutional, political, and economic imperatives and a clear sector road map.

Project Number: 33432-013
Project Name: Vientiane Urban Infrastructure and Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Implementing urban institutional reform is complex. Careful attention must be paid to the following aspects of urban institutional reform: (i) its acceptance by all key stakeholders through a participatory process; (ii) a thorough understanding of local politics; (iii) realistic phasing, sequencing, and timing of its institutional and policy reform; and (iv) an appropriate balance between allocated resources and expectations of the stakeholders involved. A more open-ended policy dialogue may yet prove more helpful than the application of loan covenants.

Project Number: 33432-013
Project Name: Vientiane Urban Infrastructure and Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The project became effective on 7 January 2004, nearly 1 year after the group company was registered with the HMG’s Commercial and Industrial Bureau on 24 January 2003. Close attention should have been given to revising certain project covenants to ensure that the HMG could continue to follow up on some aspects of water pricing.

Project Number: 33177-013
Project Name: Harbin Water Supply Project [Loan 1995-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
While price setting in a tightly regulated market is often an act of balancing a large number of concerns, it is important to give due consideration to the long-term sustainability of the water utility, including investment in its modernization and expansion. If tariff income falls short of requirements (assuming normative operational efficiencies), government support is required.

Project Number: 33177-013
Project Name: Harbin Water Supply Project [Loan 1995-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
The government recognizes that water resource problems in the PRC are related to various economic, technical, regulatory, and other developmental issues, and that an integrated and comprehensive approach is required to ensure that adequate volumes of water of requisite quality are available on a sustained basis.

Project Number: 33177-013
Project Name: Harbin Water Supply Project [Loan 1995-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
The commitment shown by ADB and the HMG was fundamental to the project’s success. Careful assessment and project design during loan processing, detailed procurement and implementation planning, and timely availability of counterpart funding and decision making ensured smooth implementation and commissioning of the project about 1 year ahead of schedule.

Project Number: 33177-013
Project Name: Harbin Water Supply Project [Loan 1995-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
A two-pronged approach focusing on developing institutions and training is needed to strengthen agencies. Various trainings were given to the executing and implementing agencies in water supply and wastewater treatment operations. Aside from training, emphasis on developing the institutions, such as review of the overall organization structures and terms of reference of management and staff, would be helpful in further strengthening the EA and IAs.

Project Number: 31190-013
Project Name: Tianjin Wastewater Treatment and Water Resources Protection Project [Loan 1797-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
Complementarity of projects and donor coordination would improve operational efficiency. Sewerage construction needs to be fully addressed in the early stage of the project, particularly as it affects the implementation of wastewater treatment operations. Further to this, when the two are implemented by different funding institutions, the need for inter-donor coordination is essential to ensure that project operations and targeted completion are not compromised.

Project Number: 31190-013
Project Name: Tianjin Wastewater Treatment and Water Resources Protection Project [Loan 1797-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
Receptiveness for gender development is context specific. During appraisal, one of the benefits identified from the project was to provide employment opportunities to women through the All-China Women’s Federation. At the project’s completion, it was mentioned that women were employed as laborers during construction, and some were given permanent jobs in the IAs. Moreover, there were training opportunities given for skills enhancement. Given the focus on the growing role of women in development, gender equality is inevitably mentioned in ADB projects.

Project Number: 31190-013
Project Name: Tianjin Wastewater Treatment and Water Resources Protection Project [Loan 1797-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
Bringing in private sector experience yields efficiency. The eventual full participation of Tianjin Capital Environmental Protection Company (TCEPC) in component A was a good demonstration of private sector participation, particularly in bringing about the required expertise in running a wastewater treatment plant. Aside from the Beicang wastewater treatment plant, TCEPC is also responsible for the operations of three other large-scale wastewater treatment plants in Tianjin.

Project Number: 31190-013
Project Name: Tianjin Wastewater Treatment and Water Resources Protection Project [Loan 1797-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
Involving communities in environmental improvements increases their sustainability. The Yuqiao Reservoir subcomponent involved environment improvements to 68 villages. For such community-based subcomponents, community participation and self-management are effective gateways into sustainable implementation and operation. For similar projects, a community participation and self-management booklet should be prepared by villagers under the guidance of the social specialist at the project preparatory or implementation stage.

Project Number: 31190-013
Project Name: Tianjin Wastewater Treatment and Water Resources Protection Project [Loan 1797-PRC]
Report Date:
Lesson
Adequate consultation and better communication with affected people for projects experiencing resettlement issues can reduce implementation delays. Historically, resettlement implemented for the Yuqiao Reservoir occurred in three phases: 1960–1967, 1973, and 1979–1982. It was complex. Delays in the implementation of the resettlement subcomponent of this project could have been mitigated if lessons from the past have been taken into account.

Project Number: 31190-013
Project Name: Tianjin Wastewater Treatment and Water Resources Protection Project [Loan 1797-PRC]
Report Date: