Given population and income growth, it is widely expected that the agricultural sector will have to expand the use of water for irrigation to meet rising food demand; at the same time, the competition for water resources is growing in many regions.
... See More + As a response, it is increasingly recommended that efforts should focus on improving water productivity in agriculture, and significant public and private investments are being made with this goal in mind. Yet most public communications are vague on the meaning of agricultural water productivity, and on what should be done to improve it. They also tend to emphasize water as if it were the only input that mattered. This paper presents findings from a first attempt to survey the agricultural productivity and efficiency literature with regard to the explicit inclusion of water aspects in productivity and efficiency measurements, with the aim of contributing to the discussion on how to assess and possibly improve agricultural water productivity. The focus is on studies applying single-factor productivity measures, total factor productivity indices, frontier models, and deductive models that incorporate water. A key finding is that most studies either incorporate field- and basin-level aspects but focus only on a single input (water), or they apply a multi-factor approach but do not tackle the basin level. It seems that no study on agricultural water productivity has yet presented an approach that accounts for multiple inputs and basin-level issues. However, deductive methods do provide the flexibility to overcome many of the limitations of the other methods.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS6982 JUL 01, 2014
Scheierling, Susanne M.; Treguer, David O.; Booker, James F.; Decker, Elisabeth
The development objective of the Nile Cooperation for Results Project (NCORE) for East Africa is to facilitate cooperative water resource management and development in the Nile basin.
... See More + The additional financing (AF) is being sought for scaling-up the development effectiveness of the project, by adding additional activities and results that are in-line with the initial project design and by extending the project until April 2017. The AF will allow the inclusion of a provision for retroactive financing of up to United States (U.S.) 3.6 million dollars (allocated to the respective Nile basin initiative (NBI) centers pro rata within each of the grants), from November 1, 2013 onwards. The AF will be used to increase the number of investment projects being prepared to feasibility level to seven. Possible projects targeted for preparation under this project include interventions in irrigation, watershed management, small-scale hydropower, and drinking water. The AF will enhance the effectiveness of NCORE by expanding the three existing components. These include: advancing Nile basin-wide cooperation and analysis; promotion of sustainable development and planning in the Nile equatorial lakes region; and promotion of sustainable development and planning in the eastern Nile region (ENTRO).
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The Water Security and Climate Resilience in the Coastal Region Project for Kenya is centered around the Mwache Multipurpose Dam and related water supply and irrigation components.
... See More + The overall impacts arising from the project are positive and negative from an environmental, social and economic perspective. Once constructed, the project will supply water to Mombasa and Kwale Counties. This will have major positive impacts on economic growth, tourism development, people's livelihoods, incomes and food security. Adverse impacts will efffect water resources, soil resources, flora, air qaulity, quality of life, and information, education and communication. Possible mitigation measures for minimizing negative environmental impacts include the following: a) avoid hampering natural drainage of surface water and plan for restoration measures after construction; b) water sources and intermediary point are checked for quality to confirm water quality standards are met; c) construct the water supply distribution network contamination free; d) Plan and set up on-site sanitary facilities for the disposal of wastewater; e) construction activities should be scheduled appropriately to reduce high noise levels from overlapping noisy activities; f) avoid areas sensitive to erosion; g) avoid establishing access roads along steep slopes; instead, locate access roads perpendicularly or diagonally to the slope; h) at the end of construction works, level off the soils and facilitate vegetation regeneration; i) design the water conveyance layout by taking into account ecologically sensitive and protected areas; j) establish a perimeter of protection around sensitive ecosystems such as wetlands and unique habitats sheltering endangered species; k) minimize land clearing areas; l) restore the vegetation in cleared areas; m) design the water conveyance layout by taking into account wildlife reproduction areas and migration corridors; n) during subproject preparation, the safe yield and potential drawdown of water levels in the vicinity of boreholes and pumping stations should be checked to confirm that the proposed water source is sustainable and will not adversely affect nearby wells or wetlands or be affected by other abstractions; o) for surface water sources development, the sustainability of the proposed abstraction and the impact of withdrawals on downstream beneficial uses should be assessed; and p) pilot municipal wastewater treatment plant and carry out specific study for wastewater reclamation and alternative reuse study to develop the strategy for entering into wastewater reclamation and reuse market in order to enhance the positive impact and reduce the negative impact of the water supply system.
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The development objective of the Climate Resilience - Integrated Basin Management Project for Bolivia is to support the implementation of Borrower's strategic program for climate resilience by: (a) strengthening the Borrower's institutional capacity to define the new integrated river basin management approach to climate change adaptation; and (b) supporting its implementation in three pilot sub-basins in the Rio Grande basin.
... See More + The project comprises of three components. The first component, strengthening national capacity for climate change adaptation includes following three sub-components: (i) creating the national climate and water information system; (ii) integrating climate change adaptation into selected planning and investment tools; and (iii) supporting the Unidad Coordinadora del Programa Piloto de Resiliencia Climatica (UCP-PPCR). The second component, strengthening capacity for adaptation to climate change in the Rio Grande river basin includes following two sub-components: (i) strengthening institutions and planning for integrated and participatory water resources management and climate change adaptation in the pilot sub-basins; and (ii) strengthening the water and climate information systems in the pilot sub-basins. The third component, design and implementation of subprojects that improve climate resilience in the Rio Grande river basin consists of following two sub-components: (i) infrastructure subprojects; and (ii) watershed management subprojects.
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The objective of the Second National Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Azerbaijan is to provide quality and reliable water supply and sanitation services in selected regional (rayon) centers of Azerbaijan.
... See More + The Additional Financing, or AF will finance additional works under existing civil work contracts for the rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation systems in Siyazan, Shabran, Aghsu, Ismayilli, Lerik, Yardimli, Masalli and Jalilabad rayons (Component A). The additional activities include: additional household connections, additional metering, and larger capacity of water and wastewater treatment plants and other activities to scale up achieved results towards reaching current Project Development Objective (PDO). The investments will not go beyond the original objectives of the project, but would allow more people to benefit from project activities. The AF will also finance additional costs associated with construction supervision, institutional modernization and project management (components B and C). The Results Framework (RF) will also be revised to (i) reflect the additional activities; (ii) refine the original performance indicators; and (iii) introduce sector core indicators. The extension of the project's closing date until December 31, 2017 is required to allow Borrower to implement the on-going and additional activities. Because on-going and original activities are to be implemented within the same existing contracts, the closing date of the original IBRD loan and IDA credit will also need to be extended until December 31, 2017.
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This Review, undertaken by the World Bank Water & Sanitation Program, is provided at the request of the Ministry of Construction of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with the objectives of (a) Providing guidance/recommendations concerning the reform proposals of state owned enterprises operating in the field of water supply and urban sanitation and (b) Providing guidance/recommendations concerning economic management options for service providers.
... See More + It will be important to ensure that these reforms are undertaken in an explicitly poor-inclusive manner. The Review achieves these objectives through a review of the current situation, are view of progress on the reform agenda and presentation of potential options for improvement of the urban water and waste sector in Vietnam.
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This report presents the results of a sector analysis and dialogue carried out during the implementation of the Monitoring Country Progress in Drinking Water and Sanitation (MAPAS) regional initiative in Honduras.
... See More + Statistics mask significant inequalities and disparities between urban and rural areas; significant majorities of people lacking access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) services live in rural areas. The MAPAS analysis generated a scorecard which evaluates the service delivery pathway in four subsectors of water supply and sanitation (WSS): rural water, urban water, rural sanitation and hygiene, and urban sanitation and hygiene. The report lists priority actions suggested for each subsector. The results indicate that it is essential to complete the institutional reform process started in 2003 with the Framework Law for the Drinking Water and Sanitation Sector. Service providers must be strengthened by decentralizing urban services to the municipalities and empowering local post-construction support mechanisms. All sector institutions and decision makers in Honduras emphasized the need for an effective governing body and an autonomous regulatory authority to: apply sector policies and promote coordination between sector institutions and municipalities; shift from annual institutional planning to a sector-wide programmatic planning approach; use equity criteria to direct investment toward underserved populations; grant WSS utilities autonomy to recover costs and improve sustainability; and incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk management measures. The financial assessment also revealed the need to ensure sufficient funds to rehabilitate and replace systems that are approaching the end of their lifespan. Finally, ensuring systematic compilation of information from all sector agencies is critical for investment planning and improvement of WSS services.
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UNDP-Water & Sanitation Program 88623 JUN 09, 2014
This report presents the results of a sector analysis and dialogue carried out during the implementation of the Monitoring Country Progress in Drinking Water and Sanitation (MAPAS) regional initiative in Honduras.
... See More + Statistics mask significant inequalities and disparities between urban and rural areas; significant majorities of people lacking access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) services live in rural areas. The MAPAS analysis generated a scorecard which evaluates the service delivery pathway in four subsectors of water supply and sanitation (WSS): rural water, urban water, rural sanitation and hygiene, and urban sanitation and hygiene. The report lists priority actions suggested for each subsector. The results indicate that it is essential to complete the institutional reform process started in 2003 with the Framework Law for the Drinking Water and Sanitation Sector. Service providers must be strengthened by decentralizing urban services to the municipalities and empowering local post-construction support mechanisms. All sector institutions and decision makers in Honduras emphasized the need for an effective governing body and an autonomous regulatory authority to: apply sector policies and promote coordination between sector institutions and municipalities; shift from annual institutional planning to a sector-wide programmatic planning approach; use equity criteria to direct investment toward underserved populations; grant WSS utilities autonomy to recover costs and improve sustainability; and incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk management measures. The financial assessment also revealed the need to ensure sufficient funds to rehabilitate and replace systems that are approaching the end of their lifespan. Finally, ensuring systematic compilation of information from all sector agencies is critical for investment planning and improvement of WSS services.
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UNDP-Water & Sanitation Program 88623 JUN 09, 2014
The development objective of the Enhancing Spatial Data for Flood Risk Management Project for Mozambique is to increase the capacity of Mozambique to prepare for and manage flood events in the Limpopo and Zambezi river basins.
... See More + The project will consist of two small recipient-executed grants implemented in parallel by regional water authority (administracao regional de aguas) (ARA)-Sul and ARA-Zambezi, respectively, with each grant constituting one of the project's two components. The grants will finance: (i) Limpopo river basin high-resolution Lidar survey component which will be implemented by ARA-Sul in close collaboration with national directorate of water (direccao nacional de aguas) (DNA) and national institute for disaster management (instituto nacional de gestao de calamidades) (INGC), as well as key stakeholder agencies; and (ii) Zambezi river basin high-resolution Lidar surveys component which will be implemented by ARA-Zambezi in close collaboration with DNA, INGC, and other key stakeholder agencies.
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Although water variability has already been observed across river basins, climate change is predicted to increase variability. Such environmental changes may aggravate political tensions, especially in regions that are not equipped with an appropriate institutional apparatus.
... See More + Increased variability is also likely to challenge regions with existing institutional capacity. This paper argues that the best attempts to assess the ability of states to deal with variability in the future rest with considering how agreements have fared in the past. The paper investigates to what extent particular mechanisms and institutional designs help mitigate inter-country tensions over shared water. The analysis specifically focuses on identifying which water allocation mechanisms and institutional features provide better opportunities for mitigating conflict given that water allocation issues tend to be most salient among riparians. Water-related events from the Basins at Risk events database are used as the dependent variable to test hypotheses regarding the viability, or resilience, of treaties over time. Climatic, geographic, political, and economic variables are used as controls. The analysis is conducted for the years 1948-2001 with the country dyad as the level of observation. Findings pertaining to the primary explanatory variables suggest that country dyads governed by treaties with water allocation mechanisms exhibiting both flexibility and specificity evince more cooperative behavior. Country dyads governed by treaties with a larger sum of institutional mechanisms likewise evince a higher level of cooperation, although certain institutional mechanisms are more important than others.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS6916 JUN 01, 2014
Dinar, Shlomi; Katz, David; De Stefano, Lucia; Blankespoor, Brian
Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) is a multi-donor trust fund for climate change. The featured article in this issue of the newsletter is entitled Climate-smart development empowers Bangladesh communities.
... See More + This newsletter also includes the following headings: BCCRF's contribution to the climate change exposed communities; stories of climate- vulnerable communities: how new economic opportunities empower women; BCCRF project funds dozens of local disaster-resilience projects; and interviews with Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Zakir Hossain, Sarawasti Rani, Sharifa Khatun, and Ashima Mondol and Kamrul Islam.
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Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a population of 6.9 million people, 87 percent of whom live in rural environments. Access to improved water and sanitation has been declining in recent years and as a result PNG is not on track to meet either the millennium development goals, or its own national development targets of 70 percent access by 2030, and 100 percent access by 2050.
... See More + This synthesis report details the process and outcomes of water and sanitation program (WSP) - World Bank technical assistance (TA) to policy development support and capacity building, PNG water sanitation and hygiene. The government of PNG has been attempting to develop a national water and sanitation policy since 2005. In 2008 the national executive council (NEC) established a multi-agency task force for this purpose but due to a lack of leadership it made little progress. An early priority was to begin work on identifying a suitable institutional framework and financing pathways for service delivery and in February 2013 additional specialist TA was provided to support this endeavor. TA assisted both the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM) as chair of the task force and the task force directly in order to facilitate development of the policy. The overall objective of the TA was to support the development of a comprehensive draft water, sanitation, and hygiene (WasH) policy for submission to the NEC.
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UNDP-Water & Sanitation Program ACS8481 MAY 30, 2014
Ratings for the Rural Water and Sanitation Project for Haiti were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, risk to development outcomes were moderate, Bank performance was satisfactory, and Borrower performance was satisfactory.
... See More + Some lessons learned included: rural communities are willing to accept a new management model using a professional operator model and payment for water based on volume consumed. The maintenance responsibilities for institutional latrines should be agreed upon before construction begins. A better mechanism for source protection needs to be developed. Finding the right match for South-South knowledge exchanges improved the operators' commitment and confidence in the new profession. Engaging in sector transformation with a long-term programmatic approach has a lasting impact. Development objectives and intermediate results for different funding to the same project need to be harmonized.
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Implementation Completion and Results Report ICR2944 MAY 30, 2014
The objective of the Second Phase of Water Sector Improvement Project for Lesotho is to support the Kingdom of Lesotho in: (i) developing and sustaining an environmentally sound, socially responsible, and financially viable framework for the Metolong Dam and Water Supply Program (MDWSP), (ii) increasing the quantity of safe, bulk water supplied to Teyateyaneng, (iii) strengthening institutions and related instruments in the water sector; and (iv) advancing strategic infrastructure investments.
... See More + The additional financing will support: (i) Water and Sewerage Company to strengthen operations in areas of financial management, regulatory reporting, network monitoring and control, unaccounted-for-water, investment and strategic planning, along with enhanced capacity to assist in operations and maintenance, including necessary equipment and expenses, such as telemetry, meters, pipes, pressure values, chemicals, energy etc.; (ii) studies to advance the Lesotho Lowlands Water Supply Program, including (a) the identification of priority investments under the program; (b) updates of feasibility studies and environmental and social assessments; (c) institutional support for ownership, operation and maintenance of investments; (d) the preparation of detailed design studies; and (e) the preparation of bidding documents for civil works and engineering supervision; and (iii) provision of operational support, including the financing of operating costs.
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The Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria Project objective is to improve access to irrigation and drainage services and to strengthen institutional arrangements for integrated water resources management and agriculture service delivery in selected large-scale public schemes in Northern Nigeria.
... See More + The Project consists of four components. These are linked with each other. The main thrust of the project is Component 2 with the aim of rehabilitating public irrigation schemes. This needs to be complemented with improvements in dams/reservoirs via Component 1 to assure integrated water management and to improve safety for people downstream. Component 3 is helping to increase agricultural productivity of the irrigated lands as well as with the processing and marketing side of the increased output. Finally, Component 4 is essential for capacity building and managing the three components.
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