DLI 3 focuses on expanding access to basic drinking water services through the construction, rehabilitation, and upgrading of water supply infrastructure. The goal is to ensure that households and public institutions, including schools and health care facilities, have reliable access to safe drinking water that meets defined service standards.
This DLI supports three main types of interventions: the creation of new water supply systems, the extension of existing networks, and the rehabilitation of nonfunctional facilities identified at baseline. Only infrastructure that adheres to technical standards, service level criteria, and minimum operational conditions is recognized, ensuring that increased coverage is paired with reliability, safety, and sustainability.
A basic drinking water service is defined by four key criteria: access to an improved water source (as defined by the JMP), collection time not exceeding thirty minutes per round trip including queuing, availability of water at the time of verification, and management by a recognized service provider such as a public utility, a registered WASH Committee or Water Consumer Association, or a licensed private operator. Beneficiary numbers are calculated according to established per capita standards to maintain consistency across reporting.
Services that were nonfunctional at baseline are eligible for rehabilitation. Once a service has been verified as newly constructed, extended, or rehabilitated, it cannot be resubmitted for additional recognition if it later falls into disrepair. This approach emphasizes long-term sustainability and discourages temporary fixes.
All infrastructure must comply with technical quality assurance procedures and undergo a resilient design process, ensuring that facilities can withstand climate-related hazards such as floods and droughts. An operational environmental and social (E&S) screening and assessment mechanism is required to manage potential risks and ensure that projects are socially inclusive and environmentally responsible.
Annual progress under DLI 3 is assessed based on verified achievements in the number of people served and adherence to technical and operational standards. Verification involves a review of reported data as well as physical inspections of a representative sample of completed or rehabilitated water services. Sampling is stratified across urban, small-town, and rural areas and by service provider type to ensure accuracy and accountability.
Through DLI 3, the Program directly increases access to safe and reliable drinking water, addressing both urban and rural service gaps while providing a foundation for improved WASH outcomes. This DLI ensures that infrastructure expansion is carried out in a sustainable, technically compliant, and climate-resilient manner, contributing to improved public health, social inclusion, and community resilience.