Bringing Clean Water, Sanitation, and thus Better Nutrition to the Underserved in East Asia and Pacific

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• In Cambodia, Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project is expected to benefit approximately 79,000 people from improved access to clean water and 27,000 from improved sanitation in the city of Siem Reap by December 2026. Since 2019 the project has provided access to clean water for nearly 4,000 people, and access to sanitation for over 10,000 people.
• In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), the Scaling-Up Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Project is expected to improve access to clean water for 65,000 people, and to improve sanitation and enhance hygiene practices for 15,000 people by 2026. By early 2024, latrines and handwashing facilities had been installed in 71 schools across 54 villages, serving over 7,700 schoolchildren. Nineteen health centers serving the same 54 villages also got new toilets and wash basins. These serve an immediate population of over 11,700 people, plus surrounding communities. Water, sanitation, and hygiene activities were underway in over 100 villages.
• In Papua New Guinea, the Water Supply and Sanitation Development Project is expected to improve access to clean drinking water to 41,000 people by April 2026. The project has already provided 5,000 people with access to clean drinking water, leading to a drastic drop in waterborne disease outbreaks and more students attending school.

BENEFICIARY QUOTES

Papua New Guinea

“Most of the time, when we had no water at the health center, especially when there was no rain, I had to turn patients away. I’m now seeing patients regularly, because we have constant running water.”

— Philomena Esp, dental therapist, Maimoli Health Center

“At school, we would see only 20–30 percent of the children. Since the water supply project has given us access to water, attendance has improved dramatically.”

— Rolland Paponurea, District Administrator, East Nakanai, West New Britain

“Until the new water system, was installed in Bialla, we experienced many different waterborne diseases. After installation of clean drinking water, the incident levels have declined.”

— James Managen, District Hospital Manager, Maimoli Health Center

“A lot of kids used to stay home, struggling to find water. Some didn’t attend school for days or weeks. They missed many lessons because of lack of water. A lot of girls used to miss class also because of lack of water in school.”

— Francenne, Student, Bialla Primary School

Lao PDR

“Sometimes toilets do not have water, so teachers have to fetch water from the village to fill the containers at school so the students can use the toilets. We want to see this change, along with better handwashing facilities for the children, through this project.”

— Ms. Phaeng Soulichanh, Principal of Huaichai Primary School 

Cambodia

“World Bank support has helped with the construction of a new 21.8-kilometer sewer system, which is connected to 2,000 households. This new system helps reduce pollution and makes daily treatment and pumping operations less costly. We can imagine what the Siem Reap River would become if sewage and rainwater were dumped into it. The river is right in the center of the city and is popular with tourists. If it becomes polluted, tourists could stop coming.”

— Ky Vyrin, Director, Department of Public Works and Transport, Siem Reap Province

CHALLENGE

Cambodia, the Lao PDR, and Papua New Guinea are striving to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 target of universal access to safely managed water and sanitation. All three are far off track: in 2022, less than 30 percent of their populations had access to basic sanitation. Poor hygiene practices, exposure to waterborne diseases, and inadequate water and sanitation services contribute to persistently high childhood stunting rates—32 percent in Cambodia, 33 percent in the Lao PDR, and 49 percent in Papua New Guinea. These conditions not only impact children's physical and cognitive development but also have long-term socio-economic consequences for individuals and communities.

Access disparities are particularly stark in rural and underserved areas. In Papua New Guinea, for example, only 14 percent of people in the Southern Highlands have access to basic drinking water services, compared to 97 percent in the National Capital District. Similarly, while over 50 percent of the population in the National Capital District has access to basic sanitation, the rate drops to just 10 percent in more remote provinces such as Hela and West Sepik.

Closing the access gap could generate widespread benefits, including improved public health, increased school attendance, enhanced economic opportunities, and overall progress toward multiple SDGs.

APPROACH

The World Bank’s engagement in Cambodia, the Lao PDR, and Papua New Guinea focuses on reducing disparities in access to water supply and sanitation, improving nutrition to address stunting, and supporting vulnerable communities.

In Cambodia, the World Bank is implementing the Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which aims to develop a tariff framework, promote public-private partnerships, and reach disadvantaged populations. Additionally, recognizing the need for increased private sector involvement, a follow-up initiative has been launched: the Cambodia Water Supply and Sanitation Acceleration Project. This initiative aims to attract private sector investments to help Cambodia address critical aspects of water source sustainability and long-term sectoral planning. This approach includes a comprehensive sector strategy to tackle water source challenges, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and the Cambodia Water Security Improvement Project.

In the Lao PDR, the Scaling-Up Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project aims to enhance access to clean water supply and sanitation services, ensuring the long-term sustainability of investments. It forms part of the national nutrition convergence approach, which also includes health, agriculture, livelihoods and education projects as part of a program to address malnutrition and combat stunting, particularly in the northern provinces. It represents an innovation in the World Bank’s methodology for tackling complex issues, engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders and actors to achieve substantial results.

Finally, in Papua New Guinea, the government seeks to supply some provincial capital towns with clean water. Doing so is essential for Papua New Guinea’s development but poses operational and financial challenges for the utility. The World Bank is financing the delivery of water and working with the utility to review sustainable service delivery and expansion models to ensure that all Papua New Guineans have access to clean and safely managed water.

RESULTS

The Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project in Cambodia, launched in 2019, seeks to increase access to piped water and improved sanitation services and strengthen the operational performance of service providers in selected towns by 2025. Between 2019 and 2024, the project has provided access to clean water for nearly 4,000 people, and access to sanitation for over 10,000 people. By the time the project is completed, it is expected to provide 79,000 people in Siem Reap City with improved access to water and 27,000 with access to improved sanitation.

The Scaling-up Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project in the Lao PDR, launched in 2019, aims to provide access to water and sanitation in villages that were selected for multisectoral interventions by several World Bank projects designed to reduce childhood stunting. It also seeks to increase hygiene awareness, improve hygiene practices, and build capacity in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Ministry of Health. The project targets around 115 villages, as part of the national nutrition convergence program, and expects to benefit around 65,000 people (over half of them women and/or members of disadvantaged ethnic groups) by the time it closes in 2026.

The Water Supply and Sanitation Development Project in Papua New Guinea, launched in 2017, is working to increase access to safely managed clean water. The project will directly support the development of new water systems in the towns of Bialla, Bulolo, Ialibu, and Kerevat, and will rehabilitate the existing water supply system in Mt. Hagen. By the time the project closes in 2026, it will have provided access to clean drinking water to more than 25,000 people, half of them women and girls. In Bialla, the project has increased access to clean drinking water for 5,000 people, reducing the occurrence of waterborne diseases and increasing school attendance. The project has also improved service delivery by installing over 17,500 customer meters, which allows customers to track water supply, and pay for actual consumption.

ONE WORLD BANK GROUP IN ACTION

The Scaling-Up Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project in Lao PDR is financed by $25 million of International Development Association (IDA) funds. The Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project in Cambodia is supported by $55 million in IDA financing, which is equally split between investments in sanitation, technical assistance to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and capacity building for water supply by the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology. The Water Supply and Sanitation Development Project in Papua New Guinea is funded with $77.3 million, of which $70 million comes from IDA financing.

LOOKING AHEAD

In Cambodia, expanding access to clean water supply and safely managed sanitation, including connection to the sewer network, are prioritized under the Country Partnership Framework for FY25–FY29. The Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project paved the way for follow-up engagement through the Water Supply and Sanitation Acceleration Project, which was launched in 2024. It aims to expand access to potable water and safely managed sanitation by engaging the private sector and mobilizing private capital.

In the Lao PDR, the National Plan for Nutrition, under the National Nutrition Strategy, adopts a multisectoral convergence approach, aligning agricultural, social, health, and education services in target areas. Supported by the World Bank’s Multisectoral Nutrition Convergence Approach, multiple interventions across these sectors aim to target the same villages and households, ensuring geographic convergence. Moreover, these various interventions use the same Nutrition Social Behavioral Change and Communication Strategy, a combined monitoring and evaluation framework, and other tools and delivery platforms. The World Bank will continue to focus on previously targeted villages approving follow-on projects, enhancing interministerial collaboration, strengthening delivery capacity, measuring impacts, and expanding geographically as results emerge.

In Papua New Guinea, effective water resource management is crucial for fostering economic growth in various sectors and bridging the water and sanitation gap to ensure a sustainable future for the nation. This objective aligns with the new Country Partnership Framework being established between the government of Papua New Guinea and the World Bank. The World Bank continues working with the local water utility to develop models for future expansion and support the implementation of remaining work contracts aimed at providing safe, clean water to the citizens of Papua New Guinea.