Lebanon Water and Wastewater Sector Support Quarterly Report: October, 2011—December, 2011

(DAI). The program aims to provide technical assistance and related services to impact USAID/Lebanon's Assistance Objective (AO) 4 - "Improved water services for all in Lebanon." LWWSS works in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Water (MOEW) to assist Lebanon's four Water Establishments (WEs) in strengthening their capacity to deliver high-quality and sustainable services. The areas of focus for LWWSS include building management capacity within the WEs, increasing financial management capacity and financial systems integration, procuring equipment to complement technical assistance and capacity building, business planning to increase capital planning and benchmarking capacity, funding urgent infrastructure works to enhance delivery or access and coverage, and developing a corporate culture, customer service orientation, and public outreach programs. In October, USAID advised LWWSS that its request to fund demand-driven infrastructure works under Component Six of the program had been approved. The addition of $14,852,153 to the existing contract brings the total program ceiling to $34,360,315. The purpose of the follow-on funding is to provide essential small- and medium-capital projects that are integrated with other LWWSS programs. These works will support the three neediest WEs with priority investments. In the North Lebanon Water Establishment (NLWE), the infrastructure work will connect approximately 8,000 households to the existing system originally installed by CDR about eight years ago. Each newly connected household will also receive a water consumption meter. This activity meets the LWWSS objective of increasing the coverage of the WE as well as providing the basis of reducing the non-revenue water. In the Beka'a Valley Water Establishment (BWE), the infrastructure work will replace old water lines serving five subdivisions of Zahle, and improve the service for approximately 8,500 people. The water supply line will be upgraded to ensure a reliable and efficient water supply to the residents of Zahle. The LWWSS program has tailored the individual WE work plans to apply the information gathered on each WE and to leverage the successes accomplished to date. The program has focused on implementing its Year Three Work Plan within specific areas of Water Establishment (WE) operations. The Quarterly Report covers the period from October - December 2011 and provides quarterly highlights, component updates, and details progress of project activities broken down by each Water Establishment and then further by each component, as per the Year 3 Workplan. The LWWSS program has made significant progress in the past quarter, with several key activities completed or underway. The program has also made significant strides in building management capacity within the WEs, increasing financial management capacity and financial systems integration, and procuring equipment to complement technical assistance and capacity building. The LWWSS program has also made significant progress in developing a corporate culture, customer service orientation, and public outreach programs. The program has established a customer service representative in each of the four WEs, and has implemented a public outreach program to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation and the benefits of metering. The LWWSS program has also made significant progress in funding urgent infrastructure works to enhance delivery or access and coverage. The program has identified several priority projects that will be implemented in the coming months, including the connection of approximately 8,000 households to the existing system in the NLWE. The LWWSS program has also made significant progress in building management capacity within the WEs, increasing financial management capacity and financial systems integration, and procuring equipment to complement technical assistance and capacity building. The program has also made significant strides in developing a corporate culture, customer service orientation, and public outreach programs.