New Delhi: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $37.5 million grant to help the country of Nauru improve its urban services, the bank announced in a press release Thursday.
The grant is for the Sustainable and Resilient Urban Development Project, which aims to build Nauru’s first reticulated water supply system and improve access to sanitation services, the statement said.
It is being funded by the Asian Development Fund, which provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries, and the Government of Nauru, which is providing $2.3 million.
“Increasing exposure to natural hazards and poor access to reliable water supply and sanitation has been aggravated by the effects of climate change,” said ADB’s Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office Regional Director Shane Rosenthal in the statement.
“The Sustainable and Resilient Urban Development Project will make sweeping positive changes in the water, sanitation, and solid waste management sectors in Nauru to improve lives and livelihoods,” the statement added.
The project is expected to serve 55% of the population with a reticulated water supply system using tanks, pumps, and pipes, and also improve access to desalinated water to supplement rainwater. It also aims to improve sanitation services by building an organic waste composting facility and improving materials recovery and recycling.