Page 1 PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AB5267 Project Name DISASTER RISK MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION PROJECT Region EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA Sector Central government administration (100%) Project ID P115634 Borrower(s) MOLDOVA Republic of Moldova Ministry of Finance 7 Cosmonautilor Str. Moldova, MD-2005 Tel: (37322) 233575 protocol@minfin.moldova.md Implementing Agency Dept. of Civil Protection & Emergency Services Moldova Environment Category [ ] A [ X ] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) Date PID Prepared November 15, 2009 Estimated Date of Appraisal Authorization February 15, 2010 Estimated Date of Board Approval July 15, 2010 1. Key development issues and rationale for Bank involvement Moldova is a landlocked country, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south. The largest part of the country lies between two rivers, the Dniester and the Prut. Moldova’s rich soil and temperate continental climate (with warm summers and mild winters) have made the country one of the region’s most productive agricultural areas, and a major supplier for its agricultural products. The western border of Moldova is formed by the Prut River, which joins the Danube before flowing into the Black Sea. In the north-east, the Dniester is the main river, flowing through the country from north to south. The geographic location of Moldova determines the moderate continental climate, which transitions from an Atlantic Ocean climate to an East-European continental one. This transitional climatic character causes hydrometeorological hazards, such as flood, drought, frost and windstorm, which adversely affect the national economy. In 2007, Moldova experienced its most severe drought in living memory—estimated losses in the agricultural sector approached $1 billion. Moldova also suffered from severe floods in 2008 that resulted in estimated losses of $120 million. It is anticipated that globally forecasted changes in climatic conditions will have a pronounced impact on the frequency and severity of hydro-meteorological disasters, which will also affect Moldova. An annual mean temperature increase throughout Southern Europe and the Black Sea region is expected to be in the order of 4-5°C. Less precipitation and much warmer temperatures will lead to higher risks of water scarcity, droughts, heat waves, forest fires, biodiversity losses, Page 2 and soil and ecosystem degradation. More violent spells of rainfall will increase erosion, landslides and risk of floods. Ta king into account Moldova’s vulnerability, disaster risk reduction becomes a critical factor for the sustainable economic and social development of the country. The risks associated with a changing climate are already becoming apparent and it will be appropriate for Moldova to take steps to mitigate these risks and adapt to them. Nevertheless, natural disasters cannot be prevented from occurring. Therefore, preparing for such disasters and developing an effective response capability is an additional area that the Government of Moldova needs to consider. The Bank has developed a regional Disaster Risk Mitigation and Adaptation program framework for South Eastern and Central Europe (SECE DRMAP), of which the proposed project is an integral part. Countries in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region have increasingly come to recognize the importance of taking proactive measures for disaster preparedness and risk management rather than relying solely on disaster response. The Bank has supported several programs in disaster risk reduction; the regional SECE DRMAP framework together with “vertical” operations, such as the Moldova Disaster Risk Mitigation and Adaptation Project (MD DRMAP), will advance the region’s disaster risk management and adaptation agenda based on the experience and lessons learned in ECA and other regions. This project is an important step to strengthen Moldova’s hazard risk management capacity at the national level and to support and integrate this capacity within the regional context. 2. Proposed objective(s) The objective of the proposed Disaster Risk Mitigation and Adaptation Project for Moldova is to reduce the country’s vulnerability to natural hazards and impact of climate change, which may result in serious human and economic losses. This objective will be achieved by: (i) improving preparedness and response capabilities; (ii) strengthening the capacity of the SHS to deliver its services; and (iii) helping Moldovan farmers adapt to climatic hazards such as drought, frost, hail, etc. 3. Preliminary description It is proposed that the project include the components and activities described below. However, further prioritization of the potential activities will be required during the course of project preparation, based on additional discussions and detailed costs estimates. Component A: Disaster Risk Management and Preparedness The objective of this component is to strengthen the capacity of government institutions to manage hazard risks and respond to disasters. Emergency Response Equipment and Relief Supplies. Support will be provided for the purchase of equipment for first responders, i.e., civil protection specialized teams, (e.g., vehicles, personal protective equipment, tools, etc). Page 3 Training of First Responders. The project will support the development of a national training center for delivery of training and exercises for first responders, including the development and delivery of specialized training and exercises for the specialized teams. Public Awareness, Communication and Information. The proposed project will support raising awareness by making the general public aware of measures to take before, during and after a disaster. In addition, to better prepare for emergencies associated with transboundary rivers such as the Nistru, mechanisms of coordination with neighboring countries will be outlined. Component B: Strengthening of Hydro-meteorological Services The objective of the proposed Hydro-meteorological strengthening component is to address key gaps in capacity to mitigate damage associated with severe climatic events. The issues selected are: “nowcasting” of severe weather events and the provision of seasonal weather forecasts. Automatic Weather Stations (AWS). The proposed project will support deployment of an array of agrometeorological automatic weather stations. These will significantly expand the capacity of the SHS to provide reliable forecasts for the agricultural sector. Agro-meteorological information dissemination to farmers. While the SHS collects and analyzes agro-meteorological data and passes on information to responsible agencies as well as to media, there is a sense that more needs to be done to provide information related to severe weather events to end users such as farmers and to decision makers in a timely and user friendly manner. To help improve the dissemination of hydromet information, the proposed project will review the existing information chain and propose improvements and provide necessary financing for associated capacity building and/or equipment. Component C: Adapting to Climate Change in Agricultural Sector The main objective of this component is to help Moldovan farmers adapt to climatic hazards such as drought, frost, hail, etc. This would be achieved by improving agricultural extension services and creating access to all interested parties to good agricultural practices and conducting a series of demonstration activities. Climate adaptation demonstration activities. This subcomponent will finance a series of demonstration activities that would show to farmers low cost and efficient agricultural practices in this regard. Special attention will be paid to creating awareness of water management, crop diversification, and new technologies being employed to protect against climatic hazards. 4. Safeguard policies that might apply To be defined. Page 4 5. Tentative financing Source: ($m.) BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0 International Development Association (IDA) 10 Total 10 6. Contact point Contact: Salman Anees Title: Senior Urban Specialist Tel: (202) 473-1697 Fax: Email: sanees@worldbank.org