Risk reduction and disaster prevention are critical in curbing the large human and economic costs of disasters. The devastation caused by the 2017 hurricane season in the Caribbean has shown that years of development gains can be wiped out overnight if these gains are not resilient to shocks.
... See More + Likewise, any future economic growth that is built on vulnerable infrastructure and non-risk-informed policy frameworks is at risk. As the economies and populations of countries continue to grow, risk management needs to be placed at the very heart of long-term development strategies. Risk-informed development strategies are key to reduce risk and avoid future disasters; however, disaster risks cannot be fully eliminated. The question is not whether another major hurricane or earthquake will strike, but when. In a changing climate, governments must be especially prepared for more intense storms, more active hurricane seasons, heavier rainfalls, and stronger coastal floods. Further, continued urbanization and population growth, especially in coastal areas, are bound to magnify these impacts of climate change in the coming decades. Prevention and risk-informed development can ensure that exposure and risk are minimized, but all economies and societies will remain exposed to residual risk that needs to be considered and addressed. Thus, it is essential for governments to prepare in advance for future shocks; part of the challenge is to prepare the emergency response, in the hours and days that follow a disaster. Authorities can significantly improve the effectiveness of their emergency response by taking concrete measures: predefined evacuation routes and logistics, adequate and gender-sensitive shelters, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities for national and local authorities are all key for effectivedisaster preparedness. The pre-positioning of relief assets can ensure that the crisis response begins without having to rely on vulnerable transport infrastructure. Well-trained and efficientlydeployed search and rescue teams are key to saving lives in the immediate aftermath of an adverse event. But preparedness goes beyond the emergency phase to include the longer recovery and reconstruction phases, which also benefit from ex-ante preparedness. After the emergency phase – when the focus is on saving lives and providing humanitarian relief – comes the recovery and reconstruction period, during which basic services are restored, buildings and infrastructure are repaired, and livelihoods and economic activities are restored to their pre-disaster level or better. Governments can significantly reduce the impact of disasters on economic growth, livelihoods, and well-being by improving the effectiveness, speed, and quality of post-disaster recovery.
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This operational manual describes the process for planning and implementing performance-based contracts (PBCs) for nonrevenue water (NRW) reduction.
... See More + An NRW-PBC is a contract for outsourcing technical, commercial, and construction activities related to NRW reduction, while providing the contractor with incentives to achieve the desired results. Unlike conventional NRW reduction contracts in which contractors are paid based on inputs (for example, number of connections replaced), NRW-PBCs pay the contractor for outputs, such as amount of water saved, number of illegal connections detected, or number of customers receiving 24/7 service. NRW-PBCs differ from management contracts, concessions, leases, or other forms of private sector participation, in that the utility retains control of utility operations and assets. The PBC allows the utility to take advantage of the expertise and incentivized performance of specialized private sector firms to reduce NRW. NRW-PBCs do not entail privatization of management, operations, or assets. This manual can be read in its entirety for general knowledge of NRW-PBCs and the NRW-PBC preparation process. Practitioners can also reference individual sections of the guide during the NRW-PBC preparation process. The primary users of this manual are those involved in assessing, preparing, and implementing NRW-PBCs. This includes governments, water utilities, regulators, consultants, contractors, and international finance institutions.
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The objective of the Zambezi River Basin Development Project is to advance preparation of the Batoka Gorge Hy-dro-Electric Scheme and strengthen cooperative development within the Zambezi River Basin.
... See More + The project is primarily supporting the engineering, environmental and social, legal and transaction advisory studies required for the development of the Batoka Gorge Hydropower project. The studies to date have been done professionally and to an acceptable standard. However, the process has been impacted by several technical, capacity and scope of works changes that have led to previous project extensions and the need for additional finance. This project restructuring will extend the project closing date by four months to support contract continuity and to enablethe Zambezi River Authority to explore additional financing options. The restructuring does not change the PDO, safeguard category, allocation of funds, or any implementation arrangements. Overall implementation and progress toward the development objective are both considered Moderately Satisfactory, as are financial management, procurement, and project management ratings. The project is compliant with safeguard requirements. The project restructuring extends the closing date to 31st December 2018. It also better aligns the results framework with current best practice. The restructuring does not change the PDO, safeguard category, allocation of funds, or any implementation arrangements.
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The objective of the Amaravati Sustainable Capital City Development Project is to provide select urban infrastructure in designated locations of Amaravati Capital City, and to support the initial development of its institutional and governance structure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts are include: (i) loss of houses, common property resources such as places of worship, drinking water sources, burial / cremation areas, etc.; (ii) loss of land; (iii) loss of trees/ topes; (iv) loss of structure; (v) resident house owner irrespective of legal status; (vi) affected family without homestead land residing in the area as on the date of census survey; (vii) cattle shed / petty shop; (viii) all affected families / tenants irrespective of legal status; (ix) crop; (x) unidentified impacts; Some of the mitigation measures are include: (i) The value of the returnable plot is expected to be higher than that of the land surrendered and to continue to increase further in value as development of the Capital City progresses; (ii) The compensation also includes a cash component, intended to cover costs of construction of replacement housing, and a rental allowance for relocation pending construction of replacement housing; (iii) concerninglandless laborers is therefore the extent to which alternative sources of income are available locally to replace the loss of income from agricultural jobs; (iv) people who are occupying agricultural lands will receive smaller size returnable plots and pensions, as per LPS; (v) all affected common property resources will be reconstructed/ alternative arrangements will be provided for in consultation with stakeholders; (vi) demand for payment of prevailing market price for the land to be acquired; (vii) skill development centre to be started at the earliest and to give priority in jobs in Capital region; (viii) Government to take steps for giving skill development and other measures to be taken up for creating livelihood opportunities;
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