Benin has identified “improving access to safe water” as one of the key issues in its national development plan, and has been working to improve water supply facilities throughout the country in order to improve the water supply rate. As a result, the national water supply rate has improved from 57 percent (WHO/UNICEF, 1990) to 76 percent (WHO/UNICEF, 2017), but still falls short of the target, and alternative water sources such as shallow wells and rainwater storage are a cause of waterborne diseases. In particular, the water supply rates in Kufo and Plateau prefectures remain low compared to the national average: 70 percent in Kufo and 60 percent in Plateau (Benin Water Corporation, 2016). In urban areas of both prefectures, the demand for water is increasing as the population grows, and there is an urgent need to secure more water supply.
This cooperation will develop new water sources and construct water supply facilities such as distribution pipes and elevated water tanks in major cities in Kufo and Plateau provinces, thereby increasing water supply in the target areas and contributing to the reduction of water-related diseases in the target areas, improving the living environment of residents, and reducing water-pumping labor.
© Source JICA