OREANDA-NEWS. On May 27, 2008 The World Bank approved \\$260 million – \\$230 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and \\$30 million from the International Development Association (IDA) – for the Second National Water Supply and Sanitation Projectin Azerbaijan.  The project will improve the availability, quality, reliability and sustainability of water supply and sanitation (WSS) services in selected regional (rayon) centers in Azerbaijan, reported the press-centre of World Bank.

This will be achieved through the rehabilitation and reconstruction of WSS infrastructure in the 21 rayons outside the Greater Baku Area, including five in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
 
“The World Bank is very proud to be a strategic counterpart of Azerbaijan in providing clean water and sanitation country-wide and to be supporting projects like these which will improve living conditions for many thousands of Azerbaijani people,” said Gregory Jedrzejczak, the World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan.
 
The Project consists of the following three components:
 
Component A:  Rayon Investments. This component will finance the rehabilitation and reconstruction of water, wastewater, and septic sludge treatment facilities in at least 21 rayons under the responsibility of the State Amelioration and Water Management Agency (SAWMA).  The project will cover the rayon centers and the villages nearby, as well as villages along the mains supplying them.
 
Component B: Institutional Modernization.  This component will support implementation of capacity building and modernization of AzerSu (state owned water company) and its subsidiaries and SAWMA, to improve the efficiency and sustainability of WSS services.
 
Component C: Project Implementation and Management.  This component will support project implementation by financing project management activities, including incremental operating costs and project audits.
 
Azerbaijan joined the World Bank in 1992. Since then, commitments to the country total approximately \\$2,133 billion for 41 operations.