Royal Haskoning participates in the International Year of Sanitation
Halfway towards the target date of the Millennium Development Goals – 2015 - the world continues to be off track to meet the target to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to improved sanitation by 2015. Meeting the target requires a redoubling of efforts. In many developing countries a proper functioning sanitation infrastructure is lacking, especially in informal urban dwellings and rural areas.
Vision Royal Haskoning
Royal Haskoning has extensive knowledge in the field of sanitation facilities and waste water treatment. Our experts are involved in projects worldwide, elaborating master plans, technical outlines for systems and financing solutions for sanitation facilities.
Royal Haskoning is also actively contributing to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, amongst others by providing its outstanding knowledge and experience on sanitation in developing countries.
What is it?
Meso-finance is a method to finance sanitation services in which the community, as a registered legal entity, applies for a loan from a local bank which enables the community to invest in water and/or sanitation facilities. The community can choose the type of system that suits best and is the owner of the system. Operations and maintenance are also handled by the community.
How does this work?
The community requests a loan from a local bank. The loan is repaid over the course of the system’s economic life through a surcharge on an existing cash flow (e.g. water tariffs) to ensure the financial feasibility. The system supplier is paid by the bank while the community remains owner, assuming full responsibility for system O&M. A standard condition could be for the community to take out a maintenance contract with the supplier for the first years of the system’s operations to ensure capacity building
Who can use it?
Communities that (can) form a legal entity, with the purpose of developing or improving their domestic water/ sanitation facilities. |
Read more in the brochure “
sanitation by meso-finance”
Advanced water treatment experience
Besides the work on sanitation in developing countries, Royal Haskoning also has wide expertise and experience in the field of more advanced waste water treatment. These technologies are implemented in the European market to meet the water quality requirements as stated in the European Water Framework Directive. Royal Haskoning applies these technologies successfully for anaerobic waste water treatment plants worldwide as well.