More than 11,000 Bilwi City households will benefit from $48.5 million nonrefundable financing
Nicaragua will improve health conditions of more than 11,000 Bilwi City (Puerto Cabezas) households by enhancing and improving drinking water services with help from a Spanish Government grant approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The project’s total cost, $48,484,000, will be financed by a $31,400,000 grant from the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation (FECASALC) managed by the Bank and by co-financing from the Government of Nicaragua through a $15,514,000 grant from the European Union’s Latin American Investment Facility (UE/LAIF), plus an additional $1,570,000 in local funds.
The operation, to be executed by Empresa Nicaragüense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, will boost coverage and improve quality of the Bilwi City drinking water service, provide service to four neighboring rural communities, and improve the service’s efficiency and sustainability. “This project represents a strategic support aimed at improving living standards in one of Nicaragua’s poorest regions,” said Thierry Delaunay, IDB project team leader.
FECASALC is a special non-reimbursable contributions fund managed by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the IDB whose aim is to speed up the expansion of drinking water and sanitation services and support regional governments’ efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals in this area.