Republic of Djibouti

Rehabilitation of Drinking Water Facilitiesin Djibouti City
Loan No: 532 Interest Rate: 2.5 %
Beneficiary: Office National de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement de Djibouti (ONEAD) Grace Period: 6 years
Project Cost: KD 7.7 million Maturity: 25 years
Amount of Loan: KD 7.0 million Repayment: 39 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: 2009-04-22 First Installment: 5 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2009-04-22 Date of Loan Effectiveness: -


Objectives:

The project aims at addressing the severe drinking water shortage in Djibouti City, and to achieving the optimal use of underground water currently available. This will be accomplished by rehabilitating the current water production and transport facilities and the distribution network, by reducing the amount of water lost, and by improving water distribution and rationalizing water consumption. The project is expected to save about 2.2 million m3 annually of water currently lost in the network.  The project will also develop the water distribution network, improve drinking water services, and thereby the living and health conditions of the population.

Description:

The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2012, includes rehabilitation of wells and pumping stations, drilling and equipping wells, construction of a water sterilization station, rehabilitation and laying of pipelines, installation of house connections and replacement of water meters, in addition to technical services and institutional support to ONEAD. The project consists of the following main components:

  1. Rehabilitation of Production, Transport and Distribution Facilities: This includes rehabilitating and equipping present wells and pumping stations, drilling and equipping about 4 wells, fixing leaks in transport and distribution networks, rehabilitating of about 400 km of pipelines and their accessories, replacing of about 50 km of pipelines with diameters ranging between 60 and 500 mm, and about 8000 old house connections and about 1000 water meters. The works also include equipping Ambouli station with about 5 pumps with capacities ranging between 450 and 750 m3/ hour and heights ranging between about 30 and 70 m, in addition to constructing a water sterilization station, installing a comprehensive system for monitoring the amount of water during production, transport and distribution, and monitoring the level of water in wells and its quality.  
  2. Reinforcement and Expansion of the Distribution Network: This includes laying about 45 km of pipelines with diameters ranging between 60 and 300 mm, in addition to installing about 6000 house connections.
  3. Technical Services: This includes consultancy services required for updating the studies of the master plan of drinking water in Djibouti, preparing the project specifications, designs and tender documents, assisting in bid evaluation, construction supervision, in addition to technical support to ONEAD in administering the execution of the project. 
  4. Institutional Support: This includes establishing a workshop for repairing water meters and maintaining pumps, purchasing equipment, and training workers in project administration, operation and maintenance. It also includes the services of experts and consultants to conduct required studies for the improvement of ONEAD’s management and financial systems. 

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 91.0% of the total project cost. The Government of Djibouti will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that may arise.