The Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Developing Water and Road Services in Rural Areas
Loan No: 510 Interest Rate: 3.0 %
Beneficiary: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development Grace Period: 6 years
Project Cost: KD 14.8 million Maturity: 25 years
Amount of Loan: KD 13.0 million Repayment: 39 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: - First Installment: 6 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2007-03-17 Date of Loan Effectiveness: 2007-05-26

Objectives:

The project aims at reducing poverty and unemployment, and improving the living conditions of the population in remote rural areas. This is achieved through the development of water resources for drinking and agricultural purposes, as well as the reduction of the isolation of many areas through the construction of rural roads. The project includes a major part of the works related to drinking water and rural roads incorporated in both the Program of the Universal Access to Basic Services and the Program of the Sustainable Development of the Oases, in addition to the construction of small dams and wells.

Description:

The project, expected to be implemented by the end of 2010, includes the acquisition of the equipment for drinking water and small irrigation networks, the construction of water dikes, the construction and rehabilitation of small dams, and the construction of several rural roads, in addition to the provision of technical and consultancy services and institutional support for the recipient parties supervising the implementation of the project. The main components of the project include:

  1. Components of the Program of the Universal Access to Basic Services: They include works related to drinking water and the rehabilitation of several rural roads in the governorates of Hodh Charghi, Hodh Gharbi, Assaba, Gorgol, Guidimagha, Trarza, Adrar, Tagant and other areas. These components include:
    1. Deep Wells and Drinking Water Networks: This includes digging and equipping about 53 wells whose depths vary between 40 and 50 meters, equipping about 31 wells with solar-based and electric water pumps, the installation of 154 km of pipelines whose diameters vary between 90 and 150 mm, the construction of 44 water reservoirs whose capacities vary between 20 and 100 cubic meters, the laying of 190 km-long water distribution networks whose diameters vary between 60 and 110 mm, and the installation of about 3000 household extensions, 110 public fountains and 30 livestock water basins.
    2. Rural Roads: This includes the construction and rehabilitation of about 110 km of rural roads. This component includes earthwork and other related civil works.
  2. Components of the Program of the Sustainable Development of the Oases: They include digging and equipping wells, the installation of drinking public fountains, construction of livestock water basins, installation of small irrigation networks, construction of small dams and water reservoirs, and the construction and rehabilitation of several rural roads. These components will be implemented in the governorates of Hodh Charghi, Hodh Gharbi, Adrar, Assaba and Tagant. They include:
    1. Wells, Basins, Public Fountains, and Irrigation Networks: This includes the digging of 150 shallow wells, with a depth of about 10 meters and their equipment with solar-based water pumps, construction of 10 cubic meter water reservoirs installed on each well, installation of drinking public fountains and livestock water basins, in addition to equipping the 500 existing shallow wells with solar-based water pumps and connecting each to a small irrigation network mainly through 300 meter-long plastic pipes, and through secondary pipes for drip-based irrigation.
    2. Rehabilitation and Construction of Small Dams and Water Dikes: This includes the rehabilitation of 6 existing dams and the construction of 8 additional dams, with a height ranging between 1 and 3 meters, and a length ranging between 200 and 1200 meters, in addition to the construction of 27 water dikes, with lengths ranging between 180 and 500 meters and a width of about 8 meters.
    3. Rural Roads: This includes the construction and the rehabilitation of rural roads, with a total length of 45 km. This component includes earthworks and other related civil works.
  3. Technical Services:It includes the provision of technical and consultancy services needed for the preparation of studies and execution plans, design and implementation of the project, preparation of the tender documents and assistance in bid evaluation.
  4. Institutional Support:It includes the provision of the necessary equipment and vehicles for the supervision of the project implementation.

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 87.8% of the total project cost. The Mauritanian Government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that might arise.