Ex-Ante Evaluation (for Japanese ODA Loan)
South Asia Division 1, South Asia Department, JICA
1. Name of the ProjectCountry: India
Project: Rajasthan Rural Water Supply and Fluorosis Mitigation Project (Phase2)
L/A signing date: March 26, 2021
2. Background and Necessity of the Project(1) Current State and Issues of the Water Supply Sector/Rajasthan in India
The Government of India set a target of “establishing access to drinking water
for the entire population of India” in its “National Water Policy” of 2012 and has
promoted the development of water supply systems throughout the country.
However, water resource development and construction of water supply facilities
have not caught up with the increase of water supply demand that has beencaused from population growth and economic growth. The percentage ofhouseholds capable of receiving piped water supply (water supplied thoughpipes to individual houses) in India is particularly low in rural areas at about 32%(2020), and the development of water supply systems in rural areas is lagging. In
addition, there are many regions in which the groundwater is contaminated withsubstances that are harmful to humans, such as naturally occurring fluorine thatexceeds standard values. Thus, the supply of safe potable water through theconstruction of water supply systems is urgently needed. The Department ofDrinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Rural Development (reorganized into
the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2019), launched the “National Rural Drinking WaterProgram” in 2009. It engaged in development of water resources andconstruction of water supply system with the aim of supplying safe and sufficientdrinking water to all rural residents. Under the second Modi ministry, which cameinto power in May 2019, the Ministry of Jal Shakti reorganized the “National
Rural Drinking Water Program” into a national strategy named “Jal Jeevan
Mission” in August 2019, which aims to provide functional household tap
connection to every rural household in India by 2024.
The target area of the Rajasthan Rural Water Supply and Fluorosis Mitigation
Project (Phase 2) (hereinafter “the Project”) is the state of Rajasthan, which is
the largest state in India and has a population of approximately 69 million people(2011). However, the ratio of rural households with piped water supply is lessthan 17% in the state as of December, 2020, which is far lower than the average
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ratio in India, which is around 32%. In Jhunjhunu District and Barmer District,which are the targeted districts of the Project, the piped water ratio is about 20%
and 8% (2020), respectively, and they are also far lower than the average ratio inIndia. Rajasthan is one of the states facing the severest water shortages in India.
In many areas of the state, including the two districts, the Baseline Water Stress(an indicator used to value amount of actual water use vis-à-vis annual amountof water availability in each region) far exceeds 40%, which is the level indicatinga highly severe situation, and even surpasses 80% (2010), which is the worst
level in India. The construction of water supply facilities utilizing surface water islagging in Rajasthan, as surface water is relatively scarce in the state due to its
geographical conditions. Meanwhile, a decline in ground water level has been
observed in the state due to excessive use of groundwater by the local residents
as their main water source, which causes serious concern in terms of securing
stable water supplies in the long term. Furthermore, contamination ofgroundwater has been confirmed in all parts of the state. In February 2020,
fluorine contamination was observed at 3,582 locations in Rajasthan out of 7,161
locations throughout India, which is the largest share in India. Additionally,around one million cases of water-borne diseases, such as dysentery andcholera caused by contamination of groundwater by bacteria from livestock
feces, are reported (2016) in the state. Overuse of groundwater is severe in thetargeted two districts, which mainly rely on groundwater as their water source.
The rate of ground water extraction in Jhunjhunu District and Barmer District isapproximately 218% and 124%, respectively. These figures far exceed thesustainable level of 100%, and therefore concerns for decline or depletion ofgroundwater in the future are high. Similarly, the “Rajasthan Rural Water Supplyand Fluorosis Mitigation Project” is underway to construct new water supply
facilities using surface water and to implement fluorosis mitigation measureswith a Japanese ODA loan in Nagaur District in Rajasthan. The two target
districts of the Project are experiencing similar groundwater contamination fromfluorine and other contaminants and a similar decline in groundwater level as
Nagaur, while their piped water percentages are below that of Nagaur, which isapproximately 25% (2020). Thus, urgent action is required. Moreover, the “JalJeevan Mission” identifies the necessity of proper operation and maintenance ofexisting water supply facilities in rural areas. Accordingly, there is a need ofcomprehensive support to implement the capacity building of the village-levelorganizations comprised of residents, such as “Village Water Sanitation2

Committees (hereinafter “VWSCs”),” in formulating plans for village-level
operation and management of water supply facilities as well as in conducting
public awareness campaigns.
In 2010, Rajasthan formulated a “State Water Policy.” The policy sets theobjectives of provision of adequate potable drinking water to every citizen, bothin urban and rural areas through conjunctive use of surface and groundwater.
Accordingly, the Government of Rajasthan has engaged in construction ofwater supply facilities using surface water. The Project will contribute in providing
sustainable and safe water supply in two districts in Rajasthan, which faces theaforementioned challenges, by constructing water treatment plants and related
facilities and implementing capacity development for VWSCs as well asCommunity Development Activities. It is therefore positioned as an important
project in India’s water supply sector.
(2) Japan and JICA’s Water Sector Policy and the Positioning of the Project
The Country Assistance Policy for India (March 2016) formulated by theGovernment of Japan establishes “supporting sustainable and inclusive growth”
as a priority area and states its support for the water supply sector as a part ofefforts to “tackle environment and climate change issues.” Additionally, the JICA
Country Analysis Paper for India (March 2018) mentions programs for“improvement of basic social services” as a part of “supporting sustainable andinclusive growth,” which is one of the paper’s priority areas. It also calls forsupport to realize sustainable economic growth in India and the sharing of thefruits of growth by society on a broad and equitable basis. Thus, the Project isconsistent with this policy and analysis.
Furthermore, the Project will contribute to the achievement of Goal 3 (ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), Goal 6 (ensure access towater and sanitation for all), and Goal 13 (take urgent action to combat climatechange and its impacts) of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore
JICA’s support for the implementation of the Project is highly necessary.
(3) Other Donors’ Activities
The World Bank has provided support for the “Rajasthan Urban Development
Project” (approved in 2017, 166 million USD) to build the capacity of public urban
development corporations in charge of water supply and sewerage system
maintenance in urban areas. This support is based on its policy to contribute tothe health and economic welfare of rural residents. The Asian Development
Bank is promoting public infrastructure development, which includes water3

supply and sewerage systems, for inclusive urbanization as a priority area. TheADB is also providing support to promote public-private partnerships as its
priority. The ADB approved a “Rajasthan Secondary Towns Development SectorProject” (300 million USD) in September 2020, which will develop water supplyand sewerage systems in several cities of Rajasthan. Thus, the ADB has a solidrecord of supporting the water supply and sewerage field in Rajasthan,particularly in the area of urban water supply. The New Development Bank isalso working to improve irrigation systems and drinking water supply capability inRajasthan’s rural areas through the “Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring
Project” (approved in 2017; 345 million USD).
3. Project Description(1) Project Objective
The objective of the Project is to provide sustainable and safe water supply in
Jhunjhunu District and Barmer District in the state of Rajasthan by constructing
water treatment plants and related facilities and implementing capacity
development of Village Water Sanitation Committee as well as Community
Development Activities, thereby contributing to the improvement of living
conditions, hygiene and health conditions of residents in the area.
(2) Project Site/Target Area
Jhunjhunu District (population of approximately 2.14 million) in thenortheastern area of Rajasthan and Barmer District (population of approximately
2.60 million) in the western area of Rajasthan.
(3) Project Componentsa) Construction of water supply facilities:
Intake facilities (2 locations), raw water pumping main (approx. 25 km),water treatment plant (2 locations, total capacity of approx. 103,000
m3/day), pump stations (approx. 60 locations), treated water transmission
pipeline (approx. 550 km), cluster pumping main (approx. 2,200 km),elevated service reservoir (approx. 350 locations), cluster distribution
pipeline (approx. 4,200 km), village distribution pipeline (approx. 20,000km), house connection (approx. 400,000), etc..
b) Capacity Development of Community and Public Awareness Campaigns
by NGOs:
Support for the formation and capacity development of village-level
VWSCs, promotion of house connections, public awareness campaigns
for water usage in relation to improvement of sanitation (including4countermeasures against fluorosis, etc.) and health issues, publicawareness campaigns for gender awareness, surveys, and publicrelations.
c) Consulting services:
Basic designs, tender assistance, construction supervision, capacity
development of executing agency, assistance for plan formulation andactivity by NGOs in implementing capacity development of communityand public awareness campaigns, etc.
(4) Estimated Project Cost
65,375 million yen (Yen Loan Amount: 45,816 million yen)(5) Schedule
March 2021 to July 2028 (total of 89 months). The Project will be completed
upon the completion of capacity development of community and publicawareness campaigns by NGOs (July 2028).
(6) Project Implementation Structure1) Borrower: President of India
2) Guarantor: None
3) Executing Agency: Public Health Engineering Department, Governmentof Rajasthan4) Operation and Maintenance Agency: Same as above(7) Collaboration with Other Schemes and Donors
N/A(8) Environmental and Social Consideration / Cross Sectoral Issues / GenderCategory
1) Environmental and Social Consideration① Category: B② Reason of Categorization: The project is not located in a sensitive
area, nor has sensitive characteristics, nor falls into sensitive sectors
under the JICA guidelines for environmental and social considerations(April 2010), and its potential adverse impacts on the environment are
not likely to be significant.
③ Environmental Permit: The preparation of an Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) report for this Project is not required under thedomestic laws of India.
④ Anti-Pollution Measures: During the construction, mitigation
measures such as water sprinkling, leachate treatment, restriction of5

work hours, etc, will be implemented in order to meet the domestic
emissions standards as well as environmental standards of India interms of air pollution, water pollution, waste, noise, vibration, etc.. Inaddition, it is anticipated that the negative impacts of waste, etc.,
generated when the facilities are in service will be minimized throughcollection, transport, treatment, etc., in accordance with the domestic
laws of India.
⑤ Natural Environment: There are no eco-sensitive zones of any
protected areas within the Project’s target areas. Some pipelines andother facilities will be installed within forest areas; therefore,permissions for “Works in the forest area” must be obtained. The
procedure for acquiring the permission takes about six months. It has
been confirmed that steps will be taken to obtain the permission by
June 2024, after the areas to be used have been confirmed in thedetailed designs prepared by contractors.
⑥ Social Environment: The Project requires acquisition of a land (1,620m2) for the construction of one pumping station among the main
facilities of the Project (the other main facilities are planned to be built
on government-owned land). The executing agency will provide
compensation for the acquired land based on a plan that will beformulated in accordance with domestic laws of India and JICA
guidelines. No opposition to the land acquisition was expressed by
the residents of the land and the residents consented to theaforementioned land acquisition plan. No resettlement of any
residents will be required.
⑦ Other/Monitoring: The executing agency and the consultants will
monitor air quality, water quality at intake points, waste, noise, etc,
during construction. The executing agency will monitor waste, etc.,
when the facilities are under operation.
2) Cross-Sectoral Issues① Climate Change: The Project will contribute to adaptation to climatechange, as it is expected that it will effectively mitigate the negative
effects of climate change because it secures stable water sources
without being affected by changes in rainfall amounts that areanticipated as an effect of climate change.
② Poverty Response/Consideration: When selecting members of6

VWSCs, which will be comprised of village representatives andvarious community representatives, 25% of the members will besecured for those belong to scheduled castes or scheduled tribes sothat the issue of poverty can also be considered.
③ Countermeasures for Infectious Diseases such as AIDS/HIV: To
prevent the risk of HIV infection during construction, the Project will
demand that contractors cooperate in implementing HIV/AIDS
countermeasures for workers. This will include the inclusion ofHIV/AIDS prevention items in bidding documents. Additionally, NGOs
will engage in public awareness campaigns to prevent water-borne
diseases such as fluorosis, which is caused by drinking untreatedgroundwater. Moreover, at the time of screening, the executing
agency agreed to a list of measures that must be taken when
formulating projects and implementing projects (total of 36 items) tocontrol COVID-19 infections. Items include the formulation andthorough adherence to behavior patterns for preventing infections,providing contractual consideration for contractors when infections
increase, etc.
3) Gender Category:
Gender Project ■ Gender Informed (Significant) (gender activity integration
project)
Activity Description/Reason for Classification: The Project’s policy is toensure that half of members of VWSCs are female in selecting its membersin order to appropriately reflect women’s views on its operation. In addition,
public awareness campaigns for gender consideration to promote genderequality will also be conducted as a part of capacity development ofcommunity and public awareness campaigns by NGOs.
(9) Other Important Issues: N/A

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4. Targeted Outcomes(1) Quantitative Effects
1) Outcomes (Operation and Effect Indicators)
Original

Indicator

Target (2030)(2020 actual)(Two years after Projectcompletion)―

47,500 (Jhunjhunu)
81,500 (Barmer)

―

100―

270 (Jhunjhunu)
845 (Barmer)―

50Water supply amount by theproject (m3/day)
Percentage of water samples
at the tap in which residual
chlorine is detected (%)
Establishment of VWSC
Female ratio
members (%)

ofVWSC

Numberofhousehold
connection (nos.)

108,900 (Jhunjhunu)―
228,600 (Barmer)2) Impact Indicators:
Number of cases of water-borne diseases, rate of villagers washing theirhands in order not to get the infectious diseases, time taken to fetch water
every day, time taken to use their activities other than household chores, etc.
(2) Qualitative Effects
Stable supply of treated water, improved health and living environments forresidents, improved operational and maintenance capabilities of the executing
agency and VWSCs, promotion of women’s participation in society(3) Internal Rate of Return
Under following preconditions, the Project’s Economic Internal Rate of Return(EIRR) will be 10.5%. The Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) is not
calculated because collection of water tariff from users is not anticipated.
[EIRR]
Costs: Construction costs, operation and maintenance costs (both excludingtaxes)
Benefits: Willingness to pay, reduced costs for obtaining house-use water as8

a result of the Project, reduced water fetching time as a result of theProject, reduced costs relating to water-borne disease as a result ofthe Project
Project Life: 35 years
5. Preconditions and External Conditions(1) Preconditions: None
(2) External conditions: Public order in the target areas does not worsen
significantly.
6. Lessons Learned from Past Projects and Application to the Project
From the results of the ex-post evaluation for the “Rural Water Supply Project(Phases I and II)” (FY2012), a Yen Loan project for the Republic of Tunisia, itwas found that educational activities for residents and support for water use
associations were effectively implemented; that the capabilities of water use
associations in the project’s target region were higher in comparison with otherregions in Tunisia, as they had fewer water supply system problems andmalfunctions; and that residents’ satisfaction with water supply services was high.
As a result of these outcomes, the water cost recovery rate of the project wassatisfactory. Additionally, from the results of the ex-post evaluation for the “RuralWater Supply And Sanitation Project (Phase 5)” (FY2014), a Yen Loan project
for the Republic of the Philippines, it was found that training for residents during
establishment of water use associations can lead to loss in motivation amongresidents when the construction of facilities is delayed. It is therefore learned that
residents’ training should be conducted at the appropriate timing of facility
construction. Furthermore, from the results of ex-post evaluation for“Hogenakkal Water Supply & Fluorosis Mitigation (Phase 1)” (FY2018), a Yen
Loan project for India, it is learned that the cost for house connection for watersupply should be included in the Yen Loan project because the cost of houseconnection is burdensome for some households in poverty.
The Project is planned to develop the capacity of VWSCs and to raise publicawareness for the necessity of house connection through the activities of NGOs
employed by the executing agency. It is also planned both to establish thestructure of collecting water fees for operation and maintenance and to promote
house connections so that the rate of collection of water fees for operation andmaintenance can be improved. Additionally, the progress of the Project will bemonitored through consulting services under cooperation with NGOs and others
9to ensure that activities of NGOs can take place with appropriate timing
according to the progress of construction. Furthermore, the Project will build asystem that can steadily promote house connections by including the houseconnection portion within the Project in tandem with the NGO’s activities so thatthe financial burden for residents in applying house connections can bemitigated and enable the Project to achieve its objective with its own. It should
be noted that, in some regional water supply projects that are currently
underway in India, it has taken time to find NGOs capable of implementing thefluorine countermeasures projects as originally planned. Given this, the Projectwill reduce the risk of similar delays by assuming a scope that is practicable by alocal NGO and will focus on the activities that are effective in combating fluorosis,
such as raising public awareness on the use of water.
7. Evaluation Results
The Project is consistent with the development issues and policy of India as
well as the policy of Japan and JICA. It will contribute in providing sustainableand safe water supply in Jhunjhunu District and Barmer District in the state ofRajasthan by constructing water treatment plants and related facilities andimplementing capacity development of Village Water Sanitation Committee aswell as Community Development Activities, thereby contributing to theimprovement of living conditions, hygiene and health conditions of residents inthe area. Moreover, it will contribute to the achievement of Goal 3 (ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), Goal 6 (ensure access towater and sanitation for all), and Goal 13 (take urgent action to combat climatechange and its impacts) of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore
JICA’s support for the implementation of the Project is highly necessary.
8. Plan for Future Evaluation(1) Indicators to be Used
As indicated in section 4 above.
(2) Timing of the Next Evaluation
Ex-post evaluation: two years after the Project’s completion.

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