The overall objective of the project is to improve the water and sanitation infrastructure in the municipalities of Valcea county included in the project, in order to fulfil the obligations established by the Accession Treaty and the relevant European Directives. The project contributes to the socio-economic development of the area by: Job creation both during the project implementation period (during the implementation of the works and service contracts will be created temporary jobs) and during the exploitation period (permanent jobs will be created within the Regional Operator) Boosting private investments and tourism in the rural area with the creation of the premises for the economic development of the project area. Access to safe and quality water and sanitation services will stimulate companies, investors and developers to invest in the project area. It will also contribute to the creation of jobs and additional incomes to local budgets, useful in developing communities and improving the living conditions of the population Reducing the risk of pollution of soil and groundwater and improving the quality of the environment Improving living conditions and reducing the risk of disease in rural areas by developing/establishing wastewater collection systems and by ensuring the supply of quality drinking water, safe and continuous conditions The functional improvement with the help of centralised SCADA and by increasing the intervention capacity in case of damage The sustainable development of the area: Reducing losses in water supply systems will contribute to the long-term conservation of water resources. Reducing pollution of water courses on the territory of the county, by treating waste water before discharge, will increase their self-purification capacity and stimulate the development of biodiversity, leisure activities, irrigated agriculture, industrial and commercial development in the river. The project is staged, the investment proposals will be made in two phases, Stage I LIOP (completed by December 31, 2023) and Stage II (to be implemented in 2024-2025) and are based on the MP provisions approved in 2014 and are correlated with other investments from other financing sources. Total investments amount to EUR 261 470 272 (current prices excluding VAT) — Stage I LIOP = EUR 113 526 246 and Stage II PODD = EUR 147 944 026 of which: total investment costs in the water sector: EUR 81 191 159 (EUR 35 251 914 in phase I LIOP), — total investment costs in the wastewater sector: EUR 180 279 113 (EUR 78 274 332 in stage I LIOP)