The Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Loan for El Salvador received a satisfactory outcome rating with low or negligible risk to development outcome.
... See More + The Bank received a moderately satisfactory performance rating while the Borrower received a satisfactory performance rating. There were no restructurings or any significant changes to PDO, indicators, or components during the life of this project. Key lessons learned from this project include five overarching ideas. (1) The effectiveness of the CAT DDO as a source of liquidity after an emergency depends on the detailed identification of the procedures and responsibilities of the Borrower and the Bank to trigger and process the disbursement. (2) The policy dialogue on DRM could be made more efficient by improving the indicators of the policy matrix. (3) Reporting responsibilities and monitoring arrangements should be agreed with the Borrower in the early stages of the operation to improve the effectiveness and monitoring of the policy measures supported by the DPL. (4) Close Bank supervision is also important to support a successful policy dialogue and DRM outcomes. (5) Finally, the Bank should aim to ensure that the Borrower understands the financial aspects of the CAT DDO instrument, and the consequences of the different options available in relation to interest rates, repayment, and renewal.
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Implementation Completion and Results Report ICR3308 FEB 18, 2015
The Ketsana Emergency Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project for Cambodia had a satisfactory outcome with moderate risk to development outcome, and satisfactory performance by both, the Bank and the borrower.
... See More + The lessons learned were: (1) A simple project design based on the best available preliminary damage and needs assessment facilitated quick processing and start-up of implementation. (2) Use of retroactive financing and force account by government to get large and almost immediate positive impacts and reinforce collaboration with government, especially in an emergency operation. (3) Use the simpler and quicker Single Source Selection (SSS) for appointing key consultants for emergency operations in countries with weak technical and institutional capacities. (4) During the implementation stage, target local contractors with simple measures to ensure better quality construction. (5) If community participation during project preparation is impossible for an emergency operation, conduct information sessions and outreach campaigns as early as possible during implementation. (6) Include public road safety awareness programs and campaigns, even for rural road construction projects. (7) Consider applying bitumen seals for dust control on laterite or gravel roads through rural settlements.
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Implementation Completion and Results Report ICR3245 JAN 23, 2015
Solomon Islands is at high risk to natural hazards. Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and within the cyclone belt, it is one of the 20 countries in the world most vulnerable to economic risk exposure caused by geological, hydrological and climatic hazards.
... See More + This includes tropical cyclones, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, floods and droughts. There have been seven major disasters triggered by natural hazards in the past 30 years, causing loss of life and having a severe and adverse impact on the economy each time. Modelling predicts natural hazards and climate change will lead to an average direct loss of US$20.5 million - or 3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) - annually for the next 50 years. In April 2014, 23 people, predominantly women and children, lost their lives after a low depression caused flooding that swept through Honiara and the Guadalcanal Plains. Total damage and losses from the floods is estimated at US$108 million or 9.2 percent of GDP.
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Although there is fast-growing policy interest in offering financial products to help rural households manage risk, the literature is still scant as to which products are the most effective.
... See More + This paper uses a randomized field experiment in Senegal and Burkina Faso to compare male and female farmers who are offered index-based agricultural insurance with those who are offered a variety of savings instruments. The paper finds that female farm managers were less likely to purchase agricultural insurance and more likely to invest in savings for emergencies, even controlling for access to informal insurance and differences in crop choice. It is hypothesized that this finding results from the fact that, although men and women are equally exposed to yield risk, women face additional sources of lifecycle risk -- particularly health risks associated with fertility and childcare -- that men do not. In essence, the basis risk associated with agricultural insurance products is higher for women. Purchasing insurance increased input spending and use more than savings. Those who purchased more insurance realized higher average yields and were better able to manage food insecurity and shocks. This finding suggests that gender differences in demand for financial products can have an impact on productivity, resilience, and welfare.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7176 JAN 01, 2015
Delavallade, Clara; Dizon, Felipe; Hill, Ruth Vargas; Petraud, Jean Paul
This Executive Directors' strategic engagements work program covers FY15 Q3, FY15 Q4, FY16 Q1, and also updated reports and other documents to be circulated for information.
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Risk-aversion has generally been found to decrease in income. This may lead one to expect that poor countries will be more risk-averse than rich countries.
... See More + Recent comparative findings with students, however, suggest the opposite, giving rise to a risk-income paradox. This paper tests this paradox by measuring the risk preferences of more than 500 household heads spread over the highlands of Ethiopia and finds high degrees of risk tolerance. The paper also finds risk tolerance to increase in income proxies, thus completing the paradox. Using exogenous proxies, the paper concludes that part of the causality must run from income to risk tolerance. The findings suggest that risk preferences cannot be blamed for the failure to adopt new technologies. Alternative explanations are discussed.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7137 DEC 01, 2014
Vieider, Ferdinand M.; Beyene, Abebe; Bluffstone, Randall; Dissanayake, Sahan; Gebreegziabher, Zenebe; Martinsson, Peter; Mekonnen, Alemu
The development objective of the Urban Resilience Project for Bangladesh is to strengthen the capacity of Government of Bangladesh (GoB) agencies to efficiently and effectively respond to emergency events in Dhaka and Sylhet; and to improve the safety of new building construction in Dhaka.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) selecting land cautiously for acquisition; (2) checking if land available with the concerned agencies or other Government of Bangladesh (GOB) agencies can be utilized for the construction; and (3) carrying out field appraisal and consultation with likely affected and groups facilitated by competent partner non-government organization (NGO).
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The development objective of the Urban Resilience Project for Bangladesh is to strengthen the capacity of Government of Bangladesh (GoB) agencies to efficiently and effectively respond to emergency events in Dhaka and Sylhet; and to improve the safety of new building construction in Dhaka.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) avoiding agricultural land for subproject activities; (2) maintaining cross-drainage at all times during construction; (3) planting same species of trees and vegetation as compensatory measures; (4) planning the work schedule of noise creating activities in consultation of local community; (5) unloading of construction materials should be carried in a manner and time so as to avoid blockage of roads or paths or access; (6) prohibiting direct disposal of solid and liquid wastage into nearby water body; (7) arranging safe drinking water and sanitation facilities for the labors working in the subprojects; and (8) integrating drainage facilities with water supply options and sanitary latrine facilities in planning and design.
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The development objective of the Chongqing Small Towns Water Environment Management Project for China is to reduce flood risks and improve wastewater infrastructure services in selected counties of Chongqing municipality.
... See More + The project comprises of five components. The first component, flood management in Tongnan County will carry out non-structural measures at the county level, including: (a) strengthening flood early warning and emergency response capacity through provision of water level monitoring and warning facilities; (b) upgrading flood risk mapping and dissemination, safety zoning, raising public awareness, and emergency response planning; and (c) improving land use management planning for flood affected areas. The second component, flood and wastewater management in Rongchang County will carry out non-structural measures at the county level, including: (a) improving hydromet monitoring and information management systems through the establishment of a local computer network with the required hardware and software, geographic information system (GIS) database and basic supporting facilities for data storage, processing, and communication; (b) strengthening the flood early warning and emergency response capacity through development of flood emergency response plans, capacity-building, and basic facilities at county, township, and village levels; and (c) upgrading flood risk mapping and dissemination, safety zoning, and raising public awareness. The third component, flood and wastewater management in Shizhu County will carry out non-structural measures at the county level, including: (a) improving hydromet monitoring and information management systems through the establishment of telemetry gauging stations; (b) strengthening the flood early warning and emergency response capacity through development of flood emergency response plans, capacity-building, and basic facilities at the county, township, and village levels; (c) upgrading flood risk mapping and dissemination, safety zoning, and raising public awareness; and (d) developing a geographic information system for monitoring, operation, and maintenance of drainage and wastewater network facilities. The fourth component, flood and wastewater management in Pengshui County will: (a) improve hydromet monitoring and information management systems through the establishment of telemetry gauges and rainfall stations; (b) strengthen the flood forecasting and early warning capacity at the county level through the establishment and operationalization of a flood forecasting system with the required database, data processing, communication and flood forecasting software, and hardware and facilities at the management center; and (c) upgrade flood risk mapping and dissemination, safety zoning, raising public awareness, and emergency response planning. The fifth component, project management and implementation support will fund the incremental operation costs for the Chongqing project management office (CPMO).
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The objective of the Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project (MDSP) for Bangladesh is to reduce the vulnerability of the coastal population in selected coastal districts of Bangladesh to natural disasters.
... See More + The project has three components. (1) Reconstruction and improvement of multipurpose shelters component will finance the construction of around 552 new shelters, the rehabilitation of around 450 existing shelters, the construction and improvement of around 550 kilometers of rural roads to improve access and communication networks to shelters, the implementation of environmental and social management plans, and design and construction supervision. (2) Project management, monitoring and technical assistance and training component will support the government in implementing the project, and in coordinating all project related activities, monitoring, technical assistance and training. (3) Emergency contingent response component. In case of a major natural disaster, the government may request the Bank to re-allocate project funds to this component (which presently carries a zero allocation) to support response and reconstruction.
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This issue focuses on communities in Colombia at high-risk to natural disasters. Policymakers continue long-term efforts to understand the scope of the problem and target measures to reduce the vulnerability of people living at risk to flooding and landslides.
... See More + Two significant observations surfaced from an initial research of various Colombian municipalities, and examining different methodologies and employed to quantify the number of households living in high-risk areas: 1) there was no consistent or systematic methodology to collect information needed to assess risk at the community level, nor to generate local hazards assessments for floods and landslides; and 2) there was no centralized data-sharing platform existed for national ministries and agencies to easily and cost-effectively access household information obtained at the municipal level. After deliberation and analysis by stakeholders and partners, a new standardized methodology was developed. The following elements emerged that supported the roll-out of the National Inventory of High-Risk Settlements to streamline decision-making processes: 1) a set of criteria was defined for all municipalities to extract inventory data from previous technical studies and emergency reports; 2) the methodology to build the national inventory was developed in consideration of limited technical capacity in many municipalities; 3) a centralized information platform for the national settlement inventory was established based on the methodology to permit municipal agencies to collect and share data more easily; and 4) the Ministry of Housing, City, and Territory issued a Ministerial Resolution that legally requires municipalities to adhere to the methodology to develop the National Inventory of High-Risk Settlements. While being no small task, building the National Inventory of High-Risk Settlements will have a significant impact on Colombias ability to address urbanization trends by reducing risk.
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