South Asia Water Initiative Annual Report July 2016 — June 2017 Cover: Sunrise on the Brahmaputra River The World Bank Group Copyright 2017 All rights reserved All photos are SAWI or licensed through iStock by Getty Images The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank Group 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433, USA South Asia Water Initiative Annual Report July 2016 — June 2017 Kali Gandaki Hydropower Plant Front Matter Foreword The mighty rivers of the Himalayas—the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra—are home to more than one billion people, who rely on their riches for economic development and to meet livelihoods needs, but are also subjected to their destructive forces with disastrous consequence. Making the most productive uses of water resources and reining in destructive forces requires the cooperative efforts of the seven countries that share these basins and their landscapes—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Yet, despite common challenges and major untapped opportunities, regional collaboration is limited due to a number of complex factors, ranging from political tension, insufficient trust, and nationalistic stances to poor knowledge of system dynamics and the gains to be had from cooperation. This has served as an obstacle to growth and economic integration. Increasing pressures on the water resource base and rising risks due to a changing climate make the need for cooperation in South Asia all the more imperative. Recognizing the critical importance of cooperation in transboundary waters, the World Bank is proud to host the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI). SAWI’s objective is to increase regional cooperation in the management of the major Himalayan river systems to deliver sustainable, fair and inclusive development. A Multi-Donor Trust Fund financed by the governments of the United Kingdom, Australia and Norway, SAWI works with riparian countries to build capacity, promote dialogue, conduct analyses to guide water management, and inform the design of large investments. Gender and climate change are integrated throughout SAWI’s activities, reflecting their critical importance to transboundary water resources management. This annual report describes SAWI’s progress, results and outcomes for fiscal year 2017 (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017) and presents the future direction of SAWI. I am delighted that the implementation of the program has accelerated. There is increasing evidence of its contribution to catalyzing positive change, including shaping policy, shifting mind-sets, strengthening client country systems with new knowledge and innovative tools, and leveraging and influencing investments into the billions of US dollars. Going forward, SAWI will continue to build on the achievements to date and ensure sustainability of outcomes, while adapting to strategic opportunities and challenges that emerge from the rapidly changing operating context. The World Bank wishes to extend its sincerest thanks to the donors for their continued support, and looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with them to strengthen cooperative transboundary water management in South Asia. Robert J. Saum Director, Regional Integration and Partnerships South Asia Region, World Bank Acronyms and Abbreviations B Billion (US Dollars) IWRM Integrated Water Resource Management BBIN Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal JWG Joint Working Group BDP Bangladesh Development Plan M Million (US Dollars) BE Bank Executed M&E Monitoring and Evaluation BISRCI Bangladesh-India Sundarbans Regional MEW Ministry of Energy and Water Cooperation Initiative MOU Memorandum of Understanding BKDP Bihar Kosi Development Project NCAR National Centre for Atmospheric Research CMU (World Bank) Country Management Unit NEA Nepal Electricity Authority CWC (India) Central Water Commission NGMIP National Groundwater Management Improvement DFAT (Australia) Department for Foreign Affairs and Program Trade NGRBP National Ganga River Basin Project DFID (UK) Department for International Development NHP National Hydrology Project EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development PFSA Partnership for South Asia EDF Électricité de France Group RE Recipient Executed ESSA Environmental and Social Systems Assessment RESCON Reservoir Conservation Approach FMISC Flood Management Improvement Support Centre RBO River Basin Organization FRA Flood Risk Assessment SAARC-CCI South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Chamber of Commerce and Industry FY Fiscal Year SACIWATERS South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water GCF Green Climate Fund Resources Studies GED General Economic Division SARRP South Asia Region’s Regional Integration and Partnerships GFDRR Global Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction SAWGP (DFID) South Asia Water Governance Programme GLOF Glacial Lake Outburst Flood SAWI South Asia Water Initiative GP (World Bank) Global Practice SDIP (DFAT) Sustainable Development Investment GRM (World Bank) Grant Report and Monitoring Portfolio HUC Himalayan University Consortium SIWI Stockholm International Water Institute ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain TERI The Energy and Resources Institute Development TTL (World Bank) Task Team Leader ICOLD International Commission on Large Dams UIB Upper Indus Basin IFC International Finance Corporation UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention for Climate IF-WG Indus Forum-Working Group Change IHA International Hydropower Association UPWSRP Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring Project IIT Indian Institute of Technology USAID-PEER US Agency for International Development- IRS International River Symposium Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature WCAP Water Sector Capacity Building and Advisory IWA International Water Association Services Project IWMI International Water Management Institute WECS (Nepal) Water and Energy Commission Secretariat Table of Contents 1 11 15 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SECTION 1: SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION FY17 REPORTING ANNUAL PROGRESS 4 ....... Strategic Direction 12 ....... 1.1. How to Read this Report 16 ....... 2.1. Effectiveness 8 ....... Leverage 12 ....... 1.2. SAWI’s Objective, Strategy (SAWI Achievements) 8 ....... Alignment and Approach 17 ....... 2.2. Focus Area Reporting 8 ....... Gender 12 ....... 1.3. The Portfolio 28 ....... 2.3. Cross-Cutting Themes 9 ....... Looking Ahead 13 ....... 1.4. Relevance 32 ....... 2.4. Portfolio Spend and Efficiency 34 ....... 2.5. Sustainability Approach 35 ....... 2.6. Program Management, Strategic Communications, M&E 37 43 SECTION 3: ANNNEXES LESSONS AND FORWARD LOOK 38 ....... 3.1. Lessons 44 ....... Annex I 39 ....... 3.2. Challenges and Performance Opportunities 53 ....... Annex II 40 ....... 3.3. Risks and Mitigation Activity Summaries 41 ....... 3.4. Forward Look 69 ....... Annex III Knowledge Products 71 ....... Annex IV Financials 75 ....... Annex V Gender Mapping of Selected Activities 77 ....... Annex VI Country Activity Profiles Various SAWI activities in FY17 Executive Summary Executive Summary 2 This executive summary provides a strategic overview SAWI’s work is structured across three river of progress and the overall direction of travel. Further basins (Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra Focus details of annual progress, examples, and results are Areas) and one landscape (Sundarbans Focus in Sections 1 to 3 and in the supporting six annexes. Area), spanning seven countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and The World Bank’s overall assessment is that SAWI is Pakistan). These Focus Areas interface with a performing well, with evidence that it is contributing Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area that both to catalyzing change and building momentum supports non-basin specific work and translates around processes toward the higher order objective national and basin-specific work for wider of strengthening regional cooperation on the major dissemination or implementation. transboundary rivers in South Asia. SAWI activities are directly and indirectly informing other processes SAWI supports a rich portfolio of activities and activities in various ways, which include: (1) designed to increase regional cooperation shaping policy, particularly at the national level in the management of the major Himalayan through knowledge, tools, capacity building and river systems in South Asia to deliver informal discussions; (2) influencing thinking sustainable, fair and inclusive development and debate most notably through the basin level and climate resilience. It does this through four dialogues and capacity building; and (3) providing complementary outcome areas: strengthening critical regional insights and new information to awareness and knowledge on regional water the design and implementation of World Bank issues; enhancing technical and policy capacity investments (see Leverage section below). across the region; dialogue and participatory decision processes to build trust and confidence; The first three years of SAWI-II focused primarily and scoping and informing investment designs. on setting the strategy, finding appropriate In the context of water resources planning and technical entry points, building new partnerships, management, the program promotes poverty and operationalizing activities. Year 4 has built alleviation, economic development, gender on this foundation by widening networks, shaping inclusion and climate change adaptation. and leveraging opportunities as these emerge, and connecting ongoing activities through regional and basin-level dialogue processes. Most significantly This annual report covers the period July 2016 this year, SAWI has made a strong leap forward – June 2017 and summarizes progress of the with its basin-level dialogues, which are bringing fourth year of implementation of the South Asia stakeholders together and starting to shift attitudes. Water Initiative (SAWI) Phase II (2013-2018). The This is evidenced by written and verbal feedback, assessment presented in this report is based on increasing levels of engagement, and movement both tangible (program Results Framework) and toward collaborative research (details are provided intangible (Focus Area Lead and activity Task in each Focus Area update below). It is also Team Leader (TTL) reporting) measurement. While showing successes in embedding the knowledge documenting progress in the reporting year, this and tools developed within client country systems, report also highlights critical change processes from building institutional capacity, and influencing large work in previous years, which are becoming evident investments both within the World Bank’s lending and building the overall momentum of SAWI. portfolio and country programs. 3 SAWI Annual Report The program-level targets in SAWI’s Results client systems. SAWI’s activities are oriented Framework for FY17 were mostly achieved, and toward a long-term strategic perspective, but with a number were exceeded. Higher-level impacts a mix of quick-wins to demonstrate success and than those tracked in SAWI’s Results Framework encourage stakeholders to continue toward regional (for instance the use of data to save more lives cooperation. Some highlights of SAWI results are during natural disasters) are likely to emerge in provided in Box 1. Gender concerns are integrated the medium- to long-term. These are not as yet through the program, and some emerging results are evident as activities have recently concluded or are in Box 3. still ongoing, and are not fully embedded within Box 1: SAWI ‘Quick Wins’ – Result Highlights 1. Four of five sub-regional and regional level • The Afghan Government is engaging more dialogues are enabling stakeholders from different intensively with its neighbors—in particular, countries to build trust and to work toward mutually Iran and Tajikistan—in part due to its increasing beneficial solutions. confidence in negotiations through SAWI- • The Bangladesh-India Sundarbans Regional supported training. Afghanistan’s willingness to Cooperation Initiative (BISRCI) has been engage on transboundary water issues could pave influential, adopting a behind-the-scenes approach the way for increasing dialogue on the Indus Basin. to drive informal discussions with key stakeholders • Innovative approaches for climate change on sensitive issues on the Sundarbans. As a risk screening and resilience measures under consequence, riparian governments (India, uncertainty are beginning to be integrated into Bangladesh) are willing to publicly engage on government hydropower investments. Application potential Sundarbans cooperative action. of these methods led to prefeasibility design • SAWI has helped to evolve and scale up the changes to climate proof the proposed Upper Arun Brahmaputra dialogue initiated by SaciWATERs. Hydropower Project in eastern Nepal, and provided proof of concept for the planning and design of • Support to the Indus dialogue is helping to expand climate resilient water resource infrastructure for networks and reach, which would otherwise be hydropower development across the Kosi Basin. limited in scale and scope due to lack of funding that could constrain participation. • More than 400 water professionals from 60 water management organizations across the region are • The regional level dialogue has raised groundwater benefitting from access to new tools and training. and transboundary river management to new These are aimed at supporting more effective levels of awareness in the region, giving impetus to engagement on transboundary issues, better the need for joint action (e.g. Indus, Sundarbans). management practices and more successful 2. The uptake of new knowledge and tools is resulting implementation of related activities. in improved capacity and a heightened appreciation 3. By aligning with national priorities, SAWI is able to of transboundary issues by key stakeholders within influence beyond its immediate activities. countries—contributing positively to the wider operating environment. • Various national-focused activities in Bangladesh, Bhutan and India support governments to • Technical support has brought a basin approach enhance hydro-meteorological data collection and to the preparation of the Investment Plan for management. These provide the building blocks of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, which adopts a basin/ landscape-level information systems, as are regional and long-term approach to prioritizing being explored, for example in the Sundarbans and investments. the Brahmaputra Basin. • An assessment and mapping of flood risks in the • SAWI is directly informing the development and Ganges Basin resulted in the preparation of the implementation of national investments in India Flood Risk Atlas (FRA), now hosted on the website (valued at $2.8 billion (B)), and successfully of the Indian Central Water Commission (CWC). Executive Summary 4 engaging 11 Indian States in the Ganges Basin, • In India, technical work on the Brahmaputra is where there are competing demands for water supporting the preparation of the Assam Flood, resources. Erosion and River Management Project ($250M), • The Bihar flood forecasting framework is being in addition to informing and supporting the scaled up to other basins under India’s National implementation of other projects: the National Hydrology Project (NHP), and is being replicated Hydrology Project (NHP, $175M); the National for the transboundary Rapti Basin in Uttar Pradesh. Groundwater Management Improvement Project (NGMIP, $500M); the Uttar Pradesh Water Sector 4. SAWI technical products are informing and Restructuring Project – Phase 2, (UPWSRP, leveraging 14 World Bank investments across the $360M); the West Bengal Major Irrigation and Flood region (worth $3.7B). Management Project ($145M); the Bihar Kosi Basin • In Afghanistan, SAWI supported restructuring Development Project (BKDP, $250M); and the (additional World Bank financing of $70 million Neeranchal National Watershed Project ($178M). (M)) of the World Bank’s Afghanistan Irrigation At the basin-level, technical advice supports the Rehabilitation and Development Project, with National Ganga River Basin Project (NGRBP, $1B). an increased focus on transboundary river basin • In Pakistan, SAWI supported additional World Bank management. financing of $35M for the Water Sector Capacity • In Bhutan, SAWI contributed to the preparation Building and Advisory Services Project (WCAP), of a project on hydro-met services and disaster aimed at bringing an increased focus on river basin resilience ($4M), partially funded with GFDRR. management for transboundary rivers. • In Bangladesh, SAWI supported preparation of the • In Nepal, SAWI is commencing analysis to inform Weather and Climate Services Project ($113M) the World Bank’s Power Sector Reform and and the River Management Improvement Program Sustainable Hydropower Development Project Project ($600M). ($20M). STRATEGIC DIRECTION the wider dissemination and uptake of these approaches. The flood forecasting and management The Focus Area strategies provide an overarching work (refer Box 2) is an example of how national framework for selecting activities and proactively activities are transitioning at a regional level. SAWI- engaging with other ongoing processes. SAWI’s supported capacity building on transboundary water adaptive management approach also enables it resources management, governance and negotiations to respond to windows of opportunities presented has led to Afghanistan engaging more proactively by an evolving operating context, with an eye in transboundary negotiations on water with toward making a greater impact and generating neighbouring countries. These discussions are on more impressive results. The choice of activities is basins that are less politically challenging to address strategic and oriented toward regional priorities, and than the Indus Basin, but Afghanistan’s increasing there is growing evidence of client responsiveness to skill at negotiations is viewed as a first step toward and ownership of these approaches. SAWI’s strategic gaining the confidence to take on more challenging approach includes strategic depth and strategic cases. breadth. Strategic breadth: The basin / landscape approach Strategic depth: By aligning with national priorities, enables SAWI to support a diverse set of context- SAWI is able to influence larger programs beyond its specific activity and dialogue, and there are positive immediate activities. For instance, in India SAWI is examples of joint collaborative research (e.g. in the closely aligned with national programs (worth more Indus and Sundarbans). However, despite SAWI’s than $2.8B), and is able to successfully develop and efforts, discussions on potential joint investments demonstrate the use of tools at the state level (e.g. by riparian countries are moving at a slower pace, Bihar flood models), which is helping to promote as these are subject to wider political processes. 5 SAWI Annual Report Furthermore, by working regionally SAWI is able to has been able to advance evidence-based and best facilitate cross-learning and work on issues that practice solutions that can engage stakeholders cut across all geographies; take a regional lens to in meaningful dialogue that can contribute to issues that are regional in nature (e.g. the risks of institutional and political change. One example is climate change to water management in the SAWI that work under the Ganges Focus Area is heralding countries); and explore potential for regional growth in institutional changes (cooperation between the and integration (e.g. regional electricity markets, Center and States in India on integrated basin regional trade, inland navigation, biodiversity). planning and on sharing classified data). In recognition of the long-standing political In the absence of a supra-regional level River Basin sensitivities around transboundary water Organization (RBO) in the SAWI region, the program management and drawing from the evaluation has used various formal and informal avenues for lessons of Phase I, SAWI-II was designed with an engaging on cooperation in transboundary waters, understanding that technical engagements are and works closely with a wide array of stakeholders, neutral and feasible entry points toward broader from government to civil society. SAWI aims to (political) cooperation. So far, SAWI’s work with gain traction by engaging on issues of common technical professionals is helping to broker strong, concern that are specific to the context of each lasting partnerships with greater levels of trust Focus Area. Thematically, these include hydropower and shared understanding. This approach has also planning and design, climate change and disaster enabled SAWI to engage with a younger cohort of risk management, strategic basin planning, and professionals who could potentially be leaders of groundwater management, among others mentioned change in the future. Through this approach, SAWI in the Focus Area summaries below. Box 2: Case Study - Regional Approach to Floods in 2017 Every year, South Asia is prone to serious flood hazards with large numbers of people at risk. This year, the floods in the Ganges Basin alone affected more than 23 million people. The FRA and forecasting work are complementary activities. SAWI is not only developing essential basin level tools, but also using these as an entry point at the State level (in Bihar) to promote the benefits of effective regional water information service delivery, while augmenting government’s capacity to use these tools. Flood Risk Assessment: Analytical and mapping work on historical flood data was undertaken to estimate economic losses in the Ganges Basin. This is helping to identify high risk areas so that activities and investments can be planned accordingly. A FRA Atlas has been developed (2016), and was endorsed by the Government of India’s CWC and uploaded on their official website (http://www.cwc.nic.in/). The Atlas is capable of providing both inter-state as well transboundary assessment, which makes it useful for wider dissemination and knowledge sharing. The recent Bihar 2017 floods are unprecedented, with flooding in seven of the eight rivers having affected more than 17 million people. The FRA Atlas was used by the World Bank to generate risk reports at different geographic points in the river basin and to estimate losses for areas with severely impacted populations. This is intended to prioritize areas that would benefit from immediate attention to flood risk reduction. The Atlas provides estimates of flood impacts for the entire basin, by district/blocks and by asset class, from a two-year to a 100-year return period. The diagram below shows the impacts of Bihar floods on number of people affected (disaggregated by gender), building loss, infrastructure loss, and agricultural loss. The Atlas provides the best possible estimates compared to other available sources. Executive Summary 6 Flood Forecasting: Following on from the above work, SAWI developed a Flood Predictability Assessment for the Ganges and the Brahmaputra Basins (available at http://indiawbg.rap.ucar. edu/precip/). By providing operational real-time estimates, the tool aims to improve accuracy in the predictability of flood forecasting for rainfall and river flows, and enable comparison to be made across the basin. This can be used to help evacuation planning and mitigation of household economic losses. The tool uses different modeling techniques, makes innovative use of satellite transboundary data that is not reliant on information sharing between riparian countries or on-the-ground measurements, and provides the results in a way that can be easily understood. The tool is being customized for Bihar in partnership with the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) (available at http:// bihar.rap.ucar.edu/rainfall/). During the floods (2017), real- time rainfall observations were made available (for download) for Bihar’s Flood Management Improvement Support Centre (FMISC). The forecasting framework is being scaled up to other basins under India’s NHP and has been replicated for the transboundary Rapti River Basin in Uttar Pradesh. Looking Forward: SAWI continues to work with the FMISC to improve forecast information and technologies to meet Bihar’s needs; and is expanding its forecast coverage to the major river basins in Bihar as well as those covered by the whole of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins. SAWI is also improving its communications websites to include new alert-warning pages that highlight areas of flood risk, and is supporting greater access and technology transfer of the forecasting systems to the FMISC through a jointly-shared NCAR-FMISC cloud service. SAWI is also using dialogue and operational real-time data sharing models to encourage upstream-downstream collaboration in flood management between Nepal and Bihar. Planned activities under SAWI and the World Bank’s BKDP were discussed by the joint high-powered committee of the Government of Nepal and the State Government of Bihar. Nodal officers have been appointed and technical discussions on flood forecasting are underway. REGIONAL CONTEXT AND EMERGING There are several positive signs toward increasing OPPORTUNITIES cooperation in the region. Recently, there has been a positive movement toward sub-regional level SAWI is operating within a complex, diverse and (primarily bilateral) collaboration, including on: (a) rapidly changing regional economic and political power trade agreements on hydropower production environment further complicated by climate change and export between Afghanistan-Pakistan, Bhutan- and environmental stresses. There are significant India, Nepal-India, and Bangladesh-India; (b) bilateral differences in the geopolitics of the eastern and mechanisms for sharing hydrological data for flood western regions of South Asia, including how the mitigation between many countries in the region, countries interface with their neighbours. While including Bangladesh-India, Bhutan-India, and some of the region’s basins provide promising China-India; (c) cooperative management of hydro- windows of opportunity, potential entry points are met stations and data sharing between Nepal-India, constrained in other areas. Traditional issues like Bhutan-India and Bangladesh-India; (d) cooperation water allocation remain sensitive, but there are on inland water between Bangladesh-India; (e) the emerging entry points for dialogue and collaborative Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) process; action. These include hydropower, groundwater and (f) the bilateral Framework Agreement on management, navigation, disaster risk reduction and Cooperation for Development between Bangladesh climate resilience, and ecological integrity. and India (2011), which sets the foundation for 7 SAWI Annual Report discussions on the joint management of the This includes frequent changes in key Sundarbans—although joint actions envisioned in interlocutors (e.g. transfers of officials) that make agreements are yet to be fully operationalized. SAWI continuity and sustaining momentum difficult. deploys resources flexibly to respond in a strategic This has been a significant challenge, particularly way to emerging opportunities, as well as critical in terms of maintaining the pace of work. The challenges, which are discussed below. SAWI teams continue to invest significant efforts in building relationships, and direct significant CRITICAL CHALLENGES resources toward capacity building activities for sustained results. Notwithstanding the emerging opportunities, several • Security concerns in some countries and challenges in implementing a complex and politically sub-regions constrain the intended pace of sensitive transboundary water management program activity. For example, the increasing frequency remain: and intensity of attacks in Afghanistan has • The evolving political economy context and implications for the pace of work, and government rising regional tensions can impede progress. attention is diverted elsewhere. SAWI is This is largely out of SAWI’s control, and requires managing this by working with other agencies adjustments in approach. SAWI’s approach is to and by investing in building capacity of targeted use knowledge sharing and advance informal Afghan officials to sustain their engagement. regional and basin-level dialogues represented With relationships established between SAWI by influential members; broaden partnerships so and the Afghan ministries relevant to the water that it can work with and through others to move sector, SAWI is able to deliver trainings via toward a common agenda; and build ownership telecommunications technology during periods and sustainability by implementing activities in of restricted travel for international staff and partnership with the client, including via several consultants. Recipient-Executed (RE) activities. • Limited funding for regional investments. • Nationally, there are multiple incentives and SAWI is helping governments to do forward priorities that intersect with the transboundary investment planning, engaging with the private water governance agenda and can slow progress. sector, and promoting collaborative joint projects By aligning with national policy priorities and through the dialogue forums. SAWI activities are investments, SAWI is able to engage with a broad closely aligned with and informing the World set of stakeholders at the national and sub- Bank’s investments in the region (currently 14 national levels, provide a common platform for investments worth more than $3.7B). dialogue, and demonstrate innovative tools and • Leaving no one behind. SAWI has consulted facilitate their wider replication. extensively with stakeholders at local levels to • Technically promising avenues often do not ensure voice and representation, particularly mesh with political economy constraints. The of vulnerable groups. SAWI continues to strategy to link ‘technical work’ to ‘Track I’ strengthen its approaches to integrate gender policy work is still a challenge. SAWI’s activities and climate change into its activities (refer Annex are therefore oriented toward a long-term V for details) and for ensuring a more inclusive strategic perspective, but with a mix of quick- approach—for instance, by using the FRA to wins to demonstrate success and by dialogue identify vulnerable groups so that targeted and to encourage stakeholders to continue toward timely action can be taken accordingly. However, regional cooperation. this remains work in progress and SAWI is • Limited, asymmetric capacity across the region strengthening its approaches. present challenges for uptake and sustainability. Executive Summary 8 LEVERAGE itself a vehicle that promotes the Paris Declaration principles harmonization and alignment. As such, it SAWI is an important part of the World Bank’s is strongly aligned with client country priorities and Regional Strategy in South Asia. This relatively investments, and with the World Bank’s country and small financial investment adds value by its ability regional strategies and investments. SAWI works to leverage1 significantly larger country level in partnership with other related regional World investments and programs (see Box 1 for details), Bank Trust programs, such as the DFAT-funded and have a much larger influence and reach than Partnership for South Asia (PFSA), which includes would otherwise be the case. The Trust Fund the South Asia Regional Trade Facilitation Program vehicle is not used to supplant standard World Bank (SARTFP) as one of its windows. SAWI also works project preparation and design funds. Instead, its with other partners in the DFID-funded South Asia additionality is that it facilitates a cross-sectoral Water Governance Progamme (SAWGP) and DFAT’s approach, and enables regional transboundary and Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio basin-scale issues, including riparian implications (SDIP) in South Asia in an effort to build synergies (beyond the procedural aspects of transboundary and ensure alignment with those broader programs. notification required by the World Bank) to be SAWI is building partnerships with a broad network brought into the technical design of investments. of implementing partners, including IWMI, ICIMOD, In addition to injecting transboundary aspects into SaciWATERs, IWA, and TERI, among many others. project design, SAWI has taken advantage of client engagement in projects to build their capacity on SAWI operates through the World Bank’s Country issues that encompass not only the specifics of Management Units (CMUs), which are responsible project preparation and implementation, but also for country-level World Bank operations, analytical broader issues of transboundary water cooperation, work and technical assistance that respond to the including by bringing exposure to global best needs of the client. SAWI is also closely aligned with practice, and linking with SAWI’s analytical work sectoral priorities as they relate to transboundary on basin planning and flood forecasting, etc. Thus, water resources. Its governance includes relevant SAWI enables the World Bank to work on sensitive Global Practice (GP) teams—including from Water, transboundary issues and engage on issues outside Agriculture, Energy and Extractives, Environment, of its normal investment portfolio by leveraging on it. and Social, Urban, Rural & Resilience (SURR). Several of SAWI’s activities are led by specialists SAWI is also engaging with broader national and in these units, which gives it the ability to exercise regional initiatives and institutions, the private influence beyond the narrow water sector. The sector, and development partners for financial internal committee that steers the SAWI program is support to incentivize action during this phase comprised of representatives from the World Bank’s and beyond. These partnerships help in crowding- regional programs, managers from all related sectors, in expertise and in disseminating knowledge to and the CMUs. Increasingly, SAWI is joining forces multiple stakeholder groups. They also ensure the with other parts of the World Bank Group, including sustainability of SAWI activities, including beyond the International Finance Corporation (IFC). the program, and as such are an explicit part of SAWI’s sustainability strategy. GENDER ALIGNMENT SAWI recognises that women are key stakeholders— both in terms of ensuring that their interests are SAWI is firmly embedded within the World Bank equally represented and that they benefit from SAWI system. As a Multi-Donor Trust Fund, SAWI is 1 The term ‘leveraging investments” or leveraging opportunities” in this report is used in the general sense to mean any large overall impact of a smaller amount of World Bank investment or advisory input. This usage is adopted in line with World Bank convention. 9 SAWI Annual Report and its related activities. The integration of gender across activities focuses on gender analysis; issues within and across SAWI’s activities remains actively promoting women’s participation in key a priority. However, this remains challenging stages of activity design and implementation to as transboundary water management has been ensure balanced participation in dialogues and that traditionally male dominated, and there is limited women’s voices are heard; raising public awareness; analysis on the connection between transboundary capacity building and organizational development; water management and gender concerns. This year, and strengthening monitoring and reporting of SAWI stepped up efforts to mainstream gender gender-disaggregated results. SAWI has conducted within the program, in line with the World Bank’s initial analysis to identify the issues, needs and Gender Strategy (2016-2023) and its guidance contextual factors affecting male and female Toolkit for Mainstreaming Gender in Water stakeholders. More in-depth targeted work on social Operations (March 2016). A Gender Mapping of inclusion in transboundary water management selected SAWI activities is in Annex V. This is being with a focus on gender is planned to commence monitored regularly by the SAWI team, including in FY18. Some emerging results of SAWI’s gender through expert technical guidance from the World mainstreaming work across its activities are Bank’s lead gender specialist. SAWI’s approach highlighted in Box 3 below. Box 3: Emerging Gender Result Highlights • The recently completed FRA Atlas provides reliable • The Sundarbans studies on fisheries and on nutrition estimates of the gender-disaggregated impacts of the are bringing a gender lens to the negative impacts devastating Bihar floods in 2017. In future years, this of climate change, and opening up space for a more is expected to help government to prioritize its actions, holistic dialogue on these issues. including for women and the most vulnerable groups. • Multiple consultations and capacity building events • Thirty-eight women have benefitted from formal were conducted during the preparation of the technical and capacity building training this year. environmental and social systems assessment (ESSA) • Consultations at local levels in the Sundarbans have for NGMIP in India. The ESSA focused on gender included women’s groups, to take account of their issues and provided concrete recommendations for priorities and needs in forward activities. a gender-informed groundwater investment program (e.g. the need for 20 percent women participation in • Gender is being integrated into the design of the the development of groundwater security plans). Brahmaputra Strategic Basin Assessment, which is intended to inform future strategies and investments that integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment. LOOKING AHEAD Cooperation; and deepen relationships with other regional Trust Funds, such as SARTFP, particularly • As this phase of funding reaches maturity, SAWI on issues such as inland navigation, gender and is ensuring the successful completion of all climate change. activities, ramping up its adaptive management • Forward priorities include pressing ahead on approach to seize emerging opportunities, identifying and fast-tracking joint activities strengthening outreach and uptake with partners, between the riparian countries that shift and putting in place measures for sustainability. entrenched positions and incentivize further • SAWI could further explore the potential for collaboration; keeping momentum on the alignment with regional programs elsewhere, knowledge and advocacy platforms to promote such as the Central Asia Regional Economic mind-set shifts; and ensuring that knowledge Executive Summary 10 and evidence are used to inform upcoming investments for the World Bank and client countries. • SAWI is likely to unlock opportunities for future cooperative action and investments (World Bank, riparian countries and others) in areas that are emerging entry points, including flood management, hydropower generation and power trade, inland water navigation for trade and transport, and groundwater management. The SAWI team will explore means to harness these windows of opportunity. • SAWI is expected to continue until 2020, but activities have been oriented toward ensuring the sustainability of outcomes. It is expected that the developed systems and tools (e.g. flood forecasting) will become increasingly embedded into government systems as, in many cases, the client has been deeply involved in developing them and has received extensive capacity building in their use. However, while knowledge products will be available in the public domain and efforts are being made to integrate these into planning processes, it is possible that not all products will be systematically utilized by government or other stakeholders. Further, it is unlikely that the dialogues will sustain in their current form without external funding. A future phase of Trust Fund support would be beneficial, as it would enable fully embedding activities within client country institutions, build on the momentum gained under the current phase of SAWI (including the dialogues), and allow increasing alignment and leveraging of the World Bank’s forward country strategies and investments, currently under development. Activity on the Ganges River at Varanasi, India SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION Section 1: Introduction 12 1.1. HOW TO READ THIS REPORT program is structured around four geographic Focus Areas (Indus Basin, Ganges Basin, Brahmaputra This annual report provides an assessment of Basin, Sundarbans Landscape) interfacing with a progress, supported by Focus Area-based updates Regional Cross-Cutting Knowledge, Dialogue and and examples of change. This Section 1: Introduction Communications Focus Area that both supports briefly sets out SAWI’s key objectives, approaches non-basin-specific work and translates national and details of the portfolio, and the relevance of or basin-specific work for wider dissemination or this approach. Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual implementation. Each Focus Area is framed around a Progress summarizes program effectiveness, high-level objective statement and strategy. assesses progress against the four intermediate outcomes in the Results Framework for each Focus 1.3. THE PORTFOLIO Area, reports on expenditure and efficiency, presents progress against five cross-cutting themes, and SAWI has had a total of 51 activities since its outlines program management. Section3: Lessons inception. In FY17, 33 activities were active and and Forward Look sets out key challenges and risks, the remainder were completed in that FY or before. outlines emerging lessons, and presents reflections Activities are grouped as follows: on the future direction of SAWI. Six annexes • Analytical and knowledge-focused activities provide details on FY17 performance, activity range from national scale (e.g., to ensure implementation, knowledge products, financials, transboundary and basin-scale issues are gender, and activities relating to each of the SAWI adequately considered in World Bank investments countries. and analytical work), through river basin scale (e.g., to guide cooperative planning) up to regional 1.2. SAWI’S OBJECTIVE, STRATEGY AND scale (e.g., on climate change adaptation). APPROACH • Capacity building includes national activities SAWI Phase II is a five-year (2013-2018) $30.7M in response to specific government requests Multi-Donor Trust Fund managed by the World Bank, or tailored to specific issues (e.g., sediment with financing from the governments of the United management in hydropower) as well as regional Kingdom, Australia and Norway. Its objective is to activities on shared challenges and needs. increase regional cooperation in the management National level capacity building is also directed of the major Himalayan river systems in South toward addressing the capacity asymmetry that Asia to deliver sustainable, fair and inclusive often makes riparian interactions less effective. development and climate resilience. SAWI’s strategic • Dialogue activities are either basin or regional in approach is oriented toward shifting the status- scope. National level work provides knowledge quo and promoting collaborative dialogue and joint and capacity “pillars” for basin and regional-level action so that South Asian countries can leverage dialogue on transboundary water governance and opportunities and reduce risks. This involves cooperation. These national-focused activities are supporting regional and basin-wide activities, often related, and their inclusion under the SAWI as well as national scale activities that build the umbrella allows for exchange and cooperation support and confidence of national governments across boundaries and across activities. to engage in constructive regional dialogue as a precursor to more formal future cooperation. The 13 SAWI Annual Report • Scoping and informing interventions and governments to strengthen specific government investments involves identifying opportunities programs and / or to build capacity of departments. for joint action, using SAWI to inform ongoing These included: the Government of Bhutan for national priorities and investments, and hydro-met services and disaster improvement, contributing to the design and implementation of the state of Bihar for flood modeling, and the other World Bank investments. Government of Nepal’s Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) for hydropower. In FY17, there were five RE activities (approx. All other activities are Bank Executed (BE). Details 15 percent of the portfolio)—two with regional on activity-level reporting for FY17 are contained institutions, IUCN for training on transboundary in Annex II. The cumulative distribution of activities water governance and ICIMOD for a sustainable across the above groupings, Focus Areas and network of Himalayan universities, and three with geographic scope through FY17 is shown below.2 Outcome Areas Focus Areas Geographic Scope Building Institutional Capacity Indus National Ganges Generating and Sharing Knowledge Bilateral Brahmaputra Scoping Interventions Basin Sundarbans Building Trust and Confidence Regional Cross-Cutting Regional 1.4. RELEVANCE water resources of the region. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the challenges associated The rationale and need for SAWI remains strong; with the management and use of transboundary more than 1 billion people are reliant on the waters water resources for growth, shared prosperity and of the three great Himalayan rivers. Economic stability in the region. SAWI operates within a development, changes in land use, and population context of a dynamic political environment rooted growth are increasingly placing stress on the in historic regional tensions and deeply entrenched 2 The predominance of knowledge activities is misleading as most activities in this category also have a significant capacity building component and work to build trust and confidence. Indeed, all activities ultimately contribute directly or indirectly to building trust and confidence for regional cooperation. The predominance of national scale work reflects the importance of interfacing with World Bank national-level investment lending, as a stepping stone to regional cooperation. It also reflects the fact that few requests for joint transboundary work have been received, given the sensitivity of these issues. To circumvent this constraint, in some cases, activities on ‘both sides of the border’ are conducted concurrently. Several activities under the Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area focus on a specific country and so count toward national scale work. Section 1: Introduction 14 positions. It has diverse socio-economic and cultural implementation of billions of dollars of World characteristics, with a multiplicity of stakeholder Bank operations in South Asian countries. interests. Solutions are therefore required to minimize the risks and maximize opportunities through promoting regional collaboration. There are several other ongoing efforts in South Asia (including those conducted by SAWI implementing partners) to facilitate cooperative management of transboundary rivers and landscapes. However, these tend to be localized, piecemeal, working with a subset of stakeholder groups, focused on particular sectoral issues, and undertaken at small scale. SAWI is a core vehicle for building on individual efforts through a coordinated and strategic approach aimed at strengthening the momentum toward sub-regional / regional cooperation. SAWI maintains relevance by aligning closely with national priorities while tapping into windows of opportunity that emerge at the regional level. SAWI’s value addition is as follows: • Ability to conceptualize the problem at scale and tackle this in a holistic manner through a mix of activities, including dialogue, capacity building, knowledge, technical advice, and informing investments; • Exercising its mandate and tapping into its network to bring together representative stakeholders across countries, from government, private sector, civil society, the research community and the media. These dialogue processes are increasingly connecting water professionals and policymakers across the region, with subtle shifts in mind-sets now becoming evident; • The weight behind a multi-donor effort, combined with World Bank leadership, is broadening networks and reach, enabling use of innovative methods to develop knowledge and demonstrate its utility, and influencing stakeholders at the highest levels that would not be possible with bilateral efforts alone; and • Ensuring that transboundary issues are adequately considered in the design and SECTION 2 FY17 ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTING The Indus River Basin Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 16 2.1. EFFECTIVENESS (SAWI ACHIEVEMENTS) undertaken informal networking, and other tacit approaches to engaging government and other Overall, SAWI’s progress is consistent and remains key stakeholders particularly on sensitive issues. on track, although it is not even across all of the By expanding its network of partners, SAWI’s Focus Areas due to variations in context, client strategy of working with and through others capacity and demand, and other external factors. is also proving to be effective—particularly in The four main intermediate outcomes areas in the terms of building common understanding and Results Framework are complementary, and reinforce momentum toward regional / sub-regional each other. Taken together, these contribute toward cooperation. SAWI’s intended outcome of “increased regional 2. Generating and Sharing Knowledge: The cooperation in the management of the Himalayan production of new tools (e.g. models for river River systems to deliver sustainable, fair and basin planning) and technical knowledge inclusive development and climate resilience”. products (e.g. climate change across South Although the riparian countries are yet to develop Asia and in the Indus) has been an effective joint cooperation on projects, there is good progress way of engaging stakeholders on sensitive on joint collaborative research and other activities issues, bringing new perspectives and evidence (examples are in the Focus Area updates below and into dialogue and systems, promoting joint in the annexes). This is a significant achievement, research among riparian countries, and using as even the engagement of various stakeholders in the dialogues and other mechanisms to embed common forums was previously challenging. The SAWI’s knowledge and tools into government Focus Area dialogues have built momentum, and by systems. SAWI has also introduced gender and combining this with capacity building and knowledge climate change perspectives into its technical products, SAWI is helping riparians to understand approaches with stakeholders. the significance of benefit sharing approaches in cooperative planning and management of 3. Building Institutional and Professional Capacity: transboundary basins and landscapes. Targeted training, exchange visits and study tours have been an effective way to engage Summary of progress toward the four intermediate senior officials on issues of transboundary water outcome areas are as follows (with more details on management. Training for staff practitioners the Results Framework in Annex I): is helping to operationalize and build capacity to use these new tools. These are being 1. Building Trust and Confidence: SAWI has made incrementally taken up by government systems significant progress in promoting and facilitating (e.g. FRA Atlas on the website of the CWC; a stakeholder-centric approach to advancing the Government of India’s interest in adopting dialogue in the basins and landscape. While the Strategic Basin Planning) and by other multi-stakeholder forums on transboundary institutional partners (e.g. glacial mapping water management have previously existed, data completed under the Indus Focus Area SAWI has helped to advance and scale these is hosted on the IWMI knowledge portal). up. The aim is to create effective mechanisms Capacity building of riparians that are relatively and a safe space to facilitate open dialogue weaker is focused on strengthening skills and that is specific and relevant to the particular technical information which are particularly context of the basin / landscape. SAWI has also useful for regional and bilateral discussions 17 SAWI Annual Report and negotiations on transboundary water (e.g. the national level discourse on water resources capacity on transboundary water governance for management and basin/sub-basin-level cooperation. Afghan officials). This is significant as it is a track II dialogue involving 4. Scoping Interventions and Investments: The participants from all four countries (and not just most immediate results are the links with other India and Pakistan). Since February 2016, the IF is investments, namely national programs and co-facilitated with IWMI and IUCN. the World Bank’s lending operations (active and pipeline), both of which are important for Key Results - What is SAWI Delivering? sustainability. The nature of the Trust Fund The IF established an Indus Forum-Working instrument, and the World Bank’s presence, reach Group (IF-WG) in March 2015. This year, SAWI has and networks mean that SAWI continues to be focused primarily on building momentum on trust well positioned to inform and influence current and confidence through meetings of the IF and the operations and future investment plans in the IF-WG; strengthening capacity through targeted region. training and study tour visits in October 20163; using carefully selected entry points to inform policy; and 2.2. FOCUS AREA REPORTING building collaborative partnerships through other regional institutions to be able to sustain efforts Indus Basin Focus Area in the long-term. While all dialogue between India and Pakistan was suspended for a few months, an Context and Strategic Approach important achievement is the small scale technical SAWI’s long-term approach is focused on creating dialogue through the IF-WG, which continued to keep the necessary conditions for basin-wide cooperation the academic and research community engaged. and planning and investments in water management infrastructure. Although tensions on the Indus Building Trust and Confidence have escalated significantly between India • The IF has become more participative and and Pakistan since September 2016, SAWI has proactive. Over the past year there has been a continued to engage strategically in a necessarily remarkable shift—the IF participants have taken sensitive and low-key fashion. It is doing this charge of the process for organizing meetings. through building trust among stakeholders across SAWI is enabling the IF to broaden the circle the riparian countries (Afghanistan, China, India, of engagement, consolidate collaborative Pakistan) through an Indus Basin-wide dialogue partnerships, and work toward a core of “basin- process; providing capacity building; generating thinkers”. In particular, partnerships have been knowledge and information sharing in order to extended with the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) equip water management institutions with the right Network facilitated by ICIMOD4, and with IWMI. tools for glacier monitoring; assessing climate This is helping to build an enabling environment change impacts; and promoting data exchange for cross-border collaboration on research as and collaborative research. The Indus Forum (IF), well as ensure longer-term sustainability for established in June 2013, is an informal mechanism the dialogue process. In July 2017 the IF/World comprising participants from each of the four Bank partnered with IWMI and ICIMOD (as well basin countries and facilitated by the World Bank. as other partners, e.g. USAID PEER Program) Its members are influential voices in-country to organize the first Indus Knowledge Forum and a critical link between SAWI’s activities and (Colombo, Sri Lanka). The objective was to 3 In October 2016, SAWI led a study tour on glacier monitoring in the Swiss Alps, bringing together participants from the four Indus Basin countries and international experts on climate change, glaciology and hydrology. The study tour allowed participants to understand and learn about research approaches to glacier monitoring in the Swiss Alps, to discuss and finalize the IF-WG joint research proposal, and to identify next steps for coordination and research mobilization (discussed further under the Generating and Sharing Knowledge section below). Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 18 assess the nature of existing knowledge and Building Institutional and Professional Capacity development challenges of the Indus and identify • Responding to a request from the Government coordination mechanisms that can potentially of Afghanistan, SAWI has delivered a two-year inform decision making to address those program of training in the period from fall 2015 challenges and to bring together the multiple to fall 2017 that focused on relationship building organizations and individuals working on Indus with riparians, international law, negotiating skills, Basin knowledge-related issues. transboundary water governance, benefit sharing and instructional dimensions of building RBOs. In Generating and Sharing Knowledge FY18, the training material will be combined into • The IF-WG has developed a proposal for a joint a training manual that can be used as reference research program on climate change impacts in material and by Afghan institutions. the Indus Basin, facilitated by SAWI. The IF is • Forty-nine Afghan government officials have using science as a mechanism to inform policy participated in 18 seminars and 142 hours and public discourse on the Indus. This joint of training. Of these, fifteen individuals have research will be an important means of sustaining participated in 80 percent or more of the the engagement of academics and practitioners seminars, which demonstrates their deep working on the Indus to build a shared knowledge commitment to capacity building. Intensive base toward the larger strategic goal. The IF training on transboundary water resources selected climate change as the topic as it impacts management is leading to strong inter- all four riparians, albeit with different effects. The ministerial collaboration and confidence to research aims to address scientific knowledge engage in riparian dialogue with neighbouring gaps and could usefully guide policymakers countries. for adaptation strategies. A joint meeting with ICIMOD’s UIB Network in May 2017 presented • A positive development is that Pakistan has the joint research proposal5 and continued invited Afghan participants to capacity building discussions on how to strengthen coordination trainings on glacier monitoring. The Deputy between these two networks of researchers. The Minister of Water of Afghanistan has nominated IF-WG is currently finalizing the proposal, after participants to attend the Pakistan training. which point it will be sent for peer review. • SAWI has been able to coordinate with other • With SAWIs support, the IF-WG has finalized donors to provide additional support to other a baseline assessment and a data-mapping ministries, in particular the Ministry of Foreign tool on glacier data and a literature search on Affairs of Afghanistan through the EU since fall climate change impacts on the glacierized area 2016. Throughout FY17, the team held joint in the Indus Basin. The GIS data-mapping tool training with the EU-funded consultant team for developed by IF-WG is publicly available on the the inter-ministerial working group. A study tour Indus Basin Knowledge Platform, which is hosted to the Nile Basin, co-funded by SIWI and also by IWMI (www.indusbasin.org). Young region- involving the EU consulting team, is planned for based researchers were engaged to undertake October 2017. this work under the guidance of the IF-WG members. 4 The UIB Network is a consortium of research institutions and government agencies engaged in glacier research in the UIB. 5 The research proposal is developed as four working packages on: (1) baseline observations; (2) climate change scenarios; (3) climate change adaptation; and (4) capacity building and knowledge exchange. 19 SAWI Annual Report SAWI is therefore both informing and leveraging In Afghanistan, SAWI’s capacity building has the development of the World Bank’s in-country helped inform the following: investments to achieve regional benefits, particularly 1. The institutional structure of the Afghanistan with regard to environmental sustainability, flood inter-ministerial cooperation on transboundary management and hydropower development and waters, including the High Commission on trade for regional benefits, as well as facilitating Transboundary Waters headed by the President networks through informal processes. SAWI’s and an inter-ministerial working group; activities offer a suite of capacity building and training, exposure to international best practice 2. The structure of the transboundary water through knowledge exchanges, and demonstration department within the Ministry of Energy and of participatory river basin modeling to support Water (MEW); water resources management. This approach has 3. The drafting of the Afghanistan been designed to tackle the main challenges of transboundary water policy (in principle weak capacity, a fragmented sector with multiple approved by the President). uncoordinated agencies, and limited availability and 4. The national dialogue on transboundary sub-optimal sharing of hydro-meteorological data waters at the 4th National Water Conference both between countries and between State and in March 2017. Central governments in India. Scoping Interventions and Investments Key Results - What is SAWI Delivering? So far, SAWI has achieved significant engagement • Capacity building has been designed and delivered with key government stakeholders on the benefits to Afghanistan’s MEW and to strengthen inter- of integrated water resources management (IWRM). ministerial collaboration and information exchange. There are signals of a growing willingness among state This builds upon last year's support to preparation and national stakeholders to more fully engage on of the restructuring (additional World Bank issues related to transboundary water management, financing of $70M) of the World Bank’s Afghanistan including on data and information sharing. This year, Irrigation Restoration and Development Project6, SAWI has had the most traction from aligning with which led to the establishment of a transboundary large national projects in India and by developing water unit within the MEW. innovative flood forecasting alongside capacity • SAWI supported additional World Bank financing building in the Indian State of Bihar. Within India, of $35M for the Pakistan Water Sector Capacity water quantity and quality are contentious issues Building and Advisory Services Project (WCAP) among the Indian States that share the waters of the aimed at bringing an increased focus on river Ganges. The modeling and planning tools are critically basin management for transboundary rivers.7 influencing and informing the technical design and framework of the NHP8 ($175M), meant to strengthen Ganges Basin Focus Area water monitoring systems, decision support tools and knowledge applications across 29 States in India. They Context and Strategic Approach are additionally informing the basin-wide NGRBP9 Despite several bilateral agreements in place, ($1B) by bringing greater attention to environmental there is no formal multilateral transboundary flows, water quantity and essential groundwater governance or investment involving all three Ganges management. While these are critical processes riparian countries (India, Nepal and Bangladesh). 6 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P122235/irrigation-restoration-development-project?lang=en&tab=overview 7 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P110099/water-sector-capacity-buildling-advisory-services-project-wcap?lang=en&tab=overview 8 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P152698?lang=en 9 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P119085/national-ganga-river-basin-project?lang=en Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 20 that need sensitive handling in order to maintain for wider uptake by the Government of India and momentum, gradual shifts in mind-sets and the basin State governments under the project. outcomes of improved management are expected to • Bihar’s flood forecasting framework is being become more evident over the longer term. scaled up to other basins under the NHP and has been replicated for the transboundary Rapti Basin Building Trust and Confidence in Uttar Pradesh. • As Bihar is downstream from Nepal, SAWI is encouraging operational real-time data sharing Building Institutional and Professional Capacity models to encourage upstream-downstream • Twenty-seven participants (including five female collaboration in flood management. Planned engineers) from Water Resource Departments of activities under SAWI and the World Bank’s 11 Indian States in the Ganges and Brahmaputra BKDP10 were discussed by the joint high-powered Basins were brought together in November 2016 committee of the Governments of Nepal and the for a comprehensive training on ‘WaterWare’, State Government of Bihar. a river basin planning and management software.12 A reputed institute (IIT Kharagpur) is Generating and Sharing Knowledge planning follow-up training. • SAWI supported the development of an online • Five Government of Nepal officials were river basin planning and management model supported to attend the International Hydropower that is available for use by government (with user Congress in Ethiopia in May 2017 to enhance accounts). The model can be used for optimizing their knowledge of and share experiences in reservoir operation to manage floods and maximize hydropower development. This is expected storage for irrigation. SAWI has also produced an to contribute toward charting the course for updated hydro-met manual. Both the model and hydropower development and operations over manual are available online (www.indiawrm.org). the coming decade in Nepal, with regional • The IWRM tool for the Damodar Basin, currently implications for its neighbours. being tested, has already resulted in inter-agency • SAWI is supporting capacity building for collaboration on data between the West Bengal Government of Bihar officials through targeted Irrigation and Waterways Department, Damodar training and study visits. A high-level delegation Valley Corporation, and West Bengal State Level (including the Minister and Principal Secretary, Ground Water Resources Development Authority.11 Water Resources Department, Government • Technical assistance in scenario-based river basin of Bihar) visited Japan in December 2016 to modeling and participatory river basin planning learn about institutional and technological for the Ganges Basin in India has acted as a perspectives of real-time flood forecasting demonstrator in participatory basin planning. This and adopt the technology suitable for Bihar. approach integrates the consideration of water Two Government of Bihar officials attended an quantity and quality, as well as surface-groundwater operational flood forecasting training organized interactions to guide policy and management. It is by RIMES and UNESCAP at the Asian Institute of considered to be a pilot for the NHP, and is planned Technology in Bangkok, in October 2016. 10 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P127725/bihar-flood-rehabilitation-phase-ii?lang=en&tab=overview 11 See http://80.120.147.40/phpincludes/auth/login.php?url=%2FDamodar2%2Fmain.php&PROJECTID=800 12 In its current form, the WaterWare application, developed by the Environmental Software and Services GmbH (Austria), includes modules on rainfall- runoff, optimization, expert system, groundwater, land use change, irrigation and crop production, GIS objects, monitoring and data management and expert system. It includes incorporation of all five reservoirs managed by the Damodar Valley Corporation, rainfall and discharge data for past two years, domestic and industrial demands, reservoir storage area elevation curves and basic calibration on reservoir levels and outflow. SAWI worked to make it more comprehensive, incorporating more data on rainfall and discharge, scenarios for dry, normal and wet years, refine model calibration, incorporate reservoir operation rules, design scenarios for evaluating impact of climate change, and scenarios on changing domestic and industrial demands. 21 SAWI Annual Report Scoping Interventions and Investments proposed West Bengal Major Irrigation and • SAWI provided technical support to WECS Flood Management Project ($145M) toward to draft Nepal’s Integrated Water Policy and improving irrigation and flood infrastructure in Water Act, working in partnership with Asian the Damodar command area. Development Bank (ADB) and the International 3. The Bihar Flood forecasting is linked with Centre of Excellence in Water Resources the World Bank’s BKDP ($250M), both of in Management (ICE WaRM). These will act as a terms of providing technical advice and of trigger for World Bank policy lending (P154693, benefitting from access to refined and large- $150M) for the energy sector in Nepal. Key scale data for its mathematical modeling. stakeholders are now consulting upon the draft Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area Policy and Act. A final consultation workshop is planned for FY18, after which the Policy and Act Context and Strategic Approach will be submitted to Cabinet and Parliament. Despite water co-dependency among the riparian • In Nepal, two SAWI activities (RE and BE) aim to countries of the Brahmaputra River Basin inform the World Bank’s Power Sector Reform (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and India), bilateral and and Sustainable Hydropower Development regional cooperation on water remains contentious. Project13 ($20M), specifically by conducting river For example, while several bilateral treaties and basin planning on transboundary rivers in Nepal. agreements govern water sharing and infrastructure However, the RE activity has not advanced as development between Bangladesh and India, in planned due to a number of factors, primarily practice, mistrust and political tensions surround related to client capacity. The associated BE their implementation. Over the last few years, activity has been delayed as it is linked to opportunities for advancing transboundary water the RE activity. The World Bank has proposed cooperation are emerging. Water allocation remains modifications to fast track the work. These are sensitive, but there is an increasing regional interest currently under discussion. in reviving inland navigation, which is strongly linked • SAWI activities are directly informing the to issues of flood mitigation and sedimentation. development and implementation of various Hydrological data sharing is a technocratic area of investments in India (valued at $2.8B): cooperation which is sowing the seeds for enhanced 1. The Strategic Basin Planning activity is seen by policy alignment that can yield significant results Government of India as a pilot for multiple river over time. basin modeling and planning activities under the NHP, and is informing India’s NGMIP14 SAWI is working to harness these opportunities with ($500M) and the UPWSRP Phase II15 ($360M). the objective of demonstrating the potential for It is relevant to the basin-wide NGRBP ($1B). realizing mutual economic benefits (e.g. hydropower 2. Water resources management tools are development and agriculture) and reduced costs directly supporting the NHP by helping to of shared problems (e.g. floods, erosion) from upscale and serve as technical guidance cooperative water management across the basin. to the entire country of India. In addition, SAWI is doing this through the Brahmaputra dialogue the toolkits are expected to support the forum that engages stakeholders from the four 13 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P150066?lang=en 14 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P158119?lang=en 15 See http://www.projects.worldbank.org/P122770/uttar-pradesh-water-sector-restructuring-project-phase-2?lang=en&tab=overview 16 National level workshops held in Bangladesh June 2016, China July 2016, India August 2016, and Bhutan September 2016. The national level workshops were attended by senior government officials, at Secretary level. The first regional workshop included government representatives, but not at this senior of a level. Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 22 riparian countries, by developing an in depth and is expected that a broader range of senior level unbiased shared knowledge and understanding of government officials from the riparian countries the Brahmaputra River, and by scoping and informing (notably, India) will be attending for the first time, the design of investments. in addition to civil society, research institutes and other key stakeholders. An expanded network of Key Results – What is SAWI Delivering? influential Chinese academicians plan to attend— A significant achievement this year has been the result of intensive one-on-one meetings held progress on the Brahmaputra dialogue process, in China that enhanced the partnership between which has moved from track II level to track I½, SaciWATERs and Chinese academic institutions/ signifying its strength and relevance. The first think tanks. regional dialogue event on the Brahmaputra (led • The dialogue process is supported by a review of by SaciWATERs, October 2016) was attended by existing transboundary protocols and accords, representatives from all four riparian countries, and an exercise on institutional mapping, which including senior level delegations from Bangladesh, will be completed in December 2017. The Bhutan and India, and academics from China. This intention is to better understand the complex, marked the beginnings of a breakthrough in track multi-tiered institutional and policy landscape of diplomacy in the basin and signified a commitment the Brahmaputra Basin as a basis for identifying to continue the dialogue toward transboundary current strengths and weaknesses, gaps and cooperation. The dialogue process is closely linked duplications, etc., and feasible measures for to the various analytical and technical assistance strengthening cooperative mechanisms that are activities under the Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area, informed by relevant international experience. providing an avenue for the dissemination of key knowledge products and tools which aim to inform Generating and Sharing Knowledge decision-making. • A strategic assessment of the Brahmaputra Basin (in India and Bangladesh) is being Building Trust and Confidence conducted to improve the understanding of • SAWI is effectively providing a neutral platform the highly complex and poorly studied system, for all four riparian countries of the Brahmaputra identify key knowledge gaps and prepare Basin (government officials, academia, think tanks an action plan for further work to identify and civil society) to engage, build a common sustainable solutions for dealing with current understanding of the issues and challenges, (and rising) risks, and make more productive and begin to identify potential opportunities use of the basin’s rich water resources. The for basin-wide collaboration. To convene the Bangladesh study has been completed, and first regional dialogue (October 2016) required stakeholders, including various government a sustained effort, including several rounds of agencies involved in implementation, have formal and informal national level consultations16 expressed a keen interest in continuing the to build support at the country level (including collaboration in follow-on work. The India study across the multiple States of India that share the is ongoing and links most directly to a pipeline Brahmaputra Basin). World Bank lending operation in Assam (refer • Building on this momentum and follow-on national below). The Ministry of Water Resources, India is dialogues held throughout FY17, preparatory also closely involved in the study. discussions and detailed planning for a high • A detailed analysis of existing hydro-met level regional event, the Brahmaputra River monitoring networks, forecasting and early warning Symposium: Knowledge Beyond Boundaries, were systems for Bhutan was completed. A report conducted in FY17. The Symposium is planned summarizing the findings of Modernizing Weather, to take place in September 2017 in New Delhi. It 23 SAWI Annual Report Water and Climate Services: A Road Map for to implement the plan, which represents a shift Bhutan has been published and disseminated. in the historical approach to delta management The report was prepared through extensive and could lead to a request for a new World consultations with the Royal Government of Bank lending operation. Bhutan, and informed the design of a World Bank • In Bangladesh, SAWI helped to scope and inform lending operation in Bhutan (refer below). investments in hydro-met systems for improved flood forecasting and early warning. Technical Building Institutional and Professional Capacity work improved the design of the World Bank- • Extensive consultations, stakeholder engagement financed $113M Bangladesh Weather and Climate and training on analytical approaches to basin Services Regional Project,18 effective May 2017. planning and model design parameters took • Technical work and dialogue on the Brahmaputra place in Bangladesh, involving some 100 Basin is informing the preparation of the individuals from more than 20 organizations, Assam Flood, Erosion and River Management including government, technical support Modernization Project19 ($250M), including organizations, academia and NGOs. providing the knowledge base and platform • Building on the Road Map for Bhutan mentioned for improved planning and management of the above, a $3.8M project co-financed by the Global system to reduce the risks of floods, erosion and Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery sedimentation. was initiated to strengthen Bhutan's capacity for hydro-met services and disaster preparedness. Sundarbans Landscape Focus Area The Hydro-met Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project in Bhutan (P154477)17 became Context and Strategic Approach effective in October 2016. The objective of this Focus Area is to support operationalization of the bilateral agreement Scoping Interventions and Investments between India and Bangladesh (signed 2011) on the • SAWI flexibly responded to the Government joint management of the Sundarbans Landscape of Bangladesh’s request for technical support for sustainable development and to deliver mutual to the preparation of an Investment Plan (IP) benefits for both countries. Although bilateral for the Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP 2100). relations between Bangladesh and India have The IP was recently completed (June 2017). It significantly improved, other politically sensitive adopts a basin-wide approach based on adaptive issues constrain open public dialogue and joint action; delta management principles to prioritize government authorities remain absent from formal investments aimed at addressing water resources (high policy levels) multi-stakeholder events; and in management challenges (including water supply India several changes in Ministers and senior officials and irrigation), supported by policy and regulatory have made it difficult to sustain momentum. SAWI is reforms and institutional capacity building. The working to advance the formal bilateral Joint Working preparation of the IP was led by the Government Group (JWG) on Conservation of the Sundarbans of Bangladesh’s General Economic Division (first meeting in July 2016), toward a more dynamic (GED) and involved working closely with a wide and permanent Joint Mechanism, and to fast-track range of stakeholders including ministries, civil cooperation on joint activities between the two society, research organizations, the private sector, countries. The main mechanism for engagement is and development partners. Bangladesh intends through the informal but influential Bangladesh-India 17 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P154477?lang=en 18 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P150220?lang=en 19 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P158260?lang=en Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 24 Sundarbans Regional Cooperation Initiative (BISRCI), 1. Supported the Bangladeshi and Indian which SAWI helped to establish in 2016. delegations on jointly designing and planning cooperative activities during the JWG meeting Key Results - What is SAWI Delivering? on Conservation of the Sundarbans (July 2016); SAWI’s strategy of incrementally building trust, 2. Provided inputs to the SAWI-supported and of combining technical knowledge with an joint Government of India-Government of advocacy-based approach, is starting to pay off. West Bengal meeting on cooperation on There is notable progress toward enhanced working Sundarbans (January 2017); and relationships between Bangladesh and India. 3. Provided inputs to the agenda for discussions Building on prior initiatives, such as Ecosystems for between the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh Life, the SAWI-supported BISRCI (a guild of policy and India in April 2017. This helped to think tanks, civil society organizations and academia establish local dialogues (between the from both countries) is convening stakeholders, community/local government and the state/ fostering dialogue and consultation with diverse federal levels of government), and was groups, and bringing in influential voices in ways perceived as critical to strengthening the that have previously not been possible due to tense high-level discussions. relationships and distrust. There is more buy-in • SAWI is bringing together civil society and to adopting a holistic approach to management academia of both countries. This year, three and sustainable development. The production and multi-stakeholder dialogue workshops and more dissemination of joint technical products is building than 20 stakeholder events were organized to capacity and new understanding, thus opening up the deliberate on and support long-term cooperative space for collaborative action. institutional arrangements. By building upon print and electronic media from both countries in the BISRCI has indirectly influenced several policy dialogue process, SAWI is promoting collaborative related discussions, including nationally determined reporting and generating calls for collaborative climate change actions in both India and Bangladesh; actions from national to local levels. Over time, advancing strategic cooperation between both this is expected to create a shared understanding countries, especially on the Sundarbans; initial ideas of the challenges and opportunities on the on managing national parks on both sides without Sundarbans, thereby building social consensus explicit reference to the border; gaining agreement around the joint management of the Delta. on cooperation on the ‘blue economy’ agenda between the two countries; and facilitating the Generating and Sharing Knowledge signing of an agreement that allows passenger and cruise vessels on coastal and protocol routes. BISRCI • A first of its kind joint landscape narrative is working toward a formal Joint Mechanism between (describing the defining characteristics of the Bangladesh and India, which is expected to come Sundarbans Landscape across national boundaries) through in FY18, to support planning, management is helping to establish and sustain dialogue and collaborative action on measures to reduce between the scientific community, government and poverty and vulnerability to natural disasters in the key stakeholders involved in preparing these drafts. landscape. This includes a Landscape Joint Environment Plan for sustainable economic growth through joint Building Trust and Confidence cooperation and action, business development and economic growth for local communities, and • BISRCI has found significant traction at the valuation of ecosystem services. highest policymaking levels in both Bangladesh and India. BISRCI has done the following: • BISRCI is increasingly playing a leadership role, and based on its guidance SAWI prioritized four 25 SAWI Annual Report new background studies to strengthen common understanding and inform potential program Scoping Interventions and Investments investments in the Sundarbans: (1) nutritional • BISRCI facilitated the signing of a bilateral status and causal linkages to diet for mothers Memorandum of Understanding—a significant and children to be able to propose a program to policy development—that enables shipping enhance nutritional status of women and children, protocols to allow passenger travel and tourism particularly the most vulnerable populations in in the Sundarbans area. This offers significant the Sundarbans who are also adversely affected potential for eco-tourism and local livelihoods, by climate and environment. This is a priority but there are also challenges in operationalizing in both Bangladesh and India, directly linked to the arrangement. BISRCI is also considering a the productive use and conservation of water request from the Government of West Bengal for resources for fisheries; (2) a joint initiative for the development of a proposal for funding from the development of sustainable tourism and the Green Climate Fund. nature conservation; (3) joint initiatives on • Draft papers to inform potential papers have been transboundary inland navigation; and (4) joint prepared, including development of an integrated initiatives on inventorization of flora and fauna, asset management system for the Sundarbans and biodiversity mapping and evaluation. Draft (India only); and a proposal for development of reports will be discussed in multi-stakeholder joint hydro-meteorological services. workshops in FY18. Studies on impacts of climate change on species, habitats, and coastline of the • A report on the status and health of fisheries transboundary Sundarbans are near completion. resources in the Sundarbans, and near-shore fisheries and estuarine aquaculture is expected Building Institutional and Professional Capacity to inform the design of a proposed World Bank- financed coastal fisheries project in Bangladesh. • SAWI is building common understanding on the Both sides of the Sundarbans border share similar physical and economic impacts of climate change characteristics, and common inter-connected on the Sundarbans. By bringing together more issues related to fisheries health. Estuaries are than 400 researchers from Bangladesh and India connected, and aquaculture impacts on water in a technical knowledge exchange (February resources are similar. Deeper understanding of 2017, Kolkata), SAWI has helped make progress in these issues and processes will not only improve establishing a common data protocol and research the design of the Bangladesh project, but could methodology, and in facilitating large-scale also pave the way to a similar project in India, knowledge exchange between the two countries— where interest has already been shown. a major challenge since the partition in 1947. Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area “This initiative has set the stage for pursuing the Context and Strategic Approach climate change agenda in an intensive manner. The Regional Cross-Cutting work supports cross- This is the first step, a very important one. Now fertilization of similar activities between basins we need to discuss more on how these inputs and regional knowledge sharing. This Focus Area can feed into framing right policy framework.” complements and underpins the work under the four Mr. Prabhat K Mishra, Secretary, Department geographic Focus Areas. of Fisheries, Government of West Bengal, India (Technical workshop, Kolkata, February 2017). Key Results - What is SAWI Delivering? Trust and confidence are heightening through an expanding regional dialogue that is increasingly Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 26 reaching a broader and higher-level audience, is raising awareness of the status of the Himalayan including government, universities and research Rivers, and “providing windows of opportunity to institutes, civil society and other key stakeholders understand each other’s concerns for improved and partners. SAWI is delivering tools and guidelines management of the Himalayan Rivers”. for climate resilient planning and social and environmental sustainability in hydropower to ensure Generating and Sharing Knowledge sustainable hydropower development that yields the • With SAWI support, Bhutan is developing its greatest transboundary benefits. It is also making first-ever complete national guidelines for strides in addressing a need for greater institutional preparation and construction of hydropower capacity on transboundary water management and covering environmental, social and technical governance through intensive training, support to aspects. The draft guidelines were consulted strengthening university programs, and partnerships upon in various workshops with a broad array in areas related to transboundary water management. of stakeholders covering sectors such as Gross National Happiness, Health and Cultural Affairs. Building Trust and Confidence The drafts are being improved and tested • The Regional Dialogue has been gradually through a field application for the Dorjilung evolving, extending reach and having an increasing hydropower project—a potential pipeline project impact since the first event in 2015 (refer Box 4). for future hydropower development in Bhutan. Participant feedback notes that knowledge sharing Repositories for key variables that could be Box 4: Case Study – Evolution of Regional Dialogue The first major regional dialogue event (SAWI- development in the region and reinforced the need for supported) was held in Kathmandu, Nepal (February, collaborative action to overcome existing challenges of 2015). The flagship “Water-Energy-Food Nexus groundwater quantity as well as quality. Forum” was convened in partnership with the Fulbright Commission, ICIMOD, and the Nepal Water In September 2016 SAWI facilitated the convening by Conservation Foundation, bringing together more the International RiverFoundation of the International than 100 participants, including representatives from RiverSymposium (IRS) in New Delhi—one of the government and NGOs, national and international most reputed technical conferences in the region. experts, and recognized specialists on nexus thinking More than 450 delegates attended, including 249 and analysis. The event focused on the transboundary from India, of which 80 were officials from Indian dimensions of managing the water-energy-food nexus, State and Central government water agencies. The complemented by reflections on success factors in past World Bank’s extended Special Session on the Future and current track II processes. Management of the Major Himalayan Rivers was very well attended and culminated in a candid discussion Building on relationships established in Kathmandu, on river basin planning including riparian cooperation SAWI partnered with the International Water by a panel of senior government water officials from Association (IWA) to organize the South Asia Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal Groundwater Forum in Jaipur, India in May 2016. This (Pakistan officials were unable to obtain visas). was the first-ever significant regional water event with This panel event broke new ground, as multilateral participation from Government of India’s Ministry of discussions on water by government officials in South Water Resources. It brought together more than 125 Asia remain highly sensitive. Following this session, the delegates from all countries in the region as well as World Bank organized a closed dialogue on regional experts from beyond the region, including current and water cooperation, which resulted in frank discussion former ministers, senior bureaucrats, water practitioners on the subject of benefit sharing between the South and scientists. The Forum elevated to the political Asian countries. Feedback from individual government level the importance of groundwater for economic participants indicated the event was highly valued. 27 SAWI Annual Report affected by hydropower development are also Conservation Approach (RESCON2) to identify being developed. This includes aquatic and viable approaches for sustainably managing migratory fish species in Bhutan. These activities reservoirs, including to address reservoir have led to requests from the Royal Government sedimentation, which is currently resulting in of Bhutan to support basin studies, including more storage being lost annually than added cumulative impact assessments, for the major and could be worsened with climate change. The rivers in Bhutan that all flow into India. significance of both climate change resilience and • A structured framework for addressing climate sediment strategies to the design and operation change in South Asia’s water sector has been of complex projects is becoming increasingly developed. The framework focuses on key important in South Asia. For example, Nepal has knowledge gaps, issues and needs, including a pipeline of projects to export power to India and policy harmonization, institutional coordination, Bangladesh that need to account for these factors and responses that are adapted to the diverse to be sustainable in the long run. conditions found across South Asia—from the • Reports were completed on crowdsourcing water Himalayan mountains with glaciers and snow to quality. This included a conceptual framework the arid regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan to and existing and emerging technologies for the tropical coasts of India and Bangladesh. The continuous water quality measurement and findings of the study have been shared across analysis of water quality data from real time the region with a wide range of stakeholders, water quality monitoring stations on the Ganges. including key policymakers. • To build climate resilience in hydropower, SAWI Building Institutional and Professional Capacity supported the development of first of its kind • An advanced river model software was resilience guidelines for climate change and introduced for the first time in India, and trainings natural disasters in hydropower and dams with have directly contributed to preparation of special reference to GLOFs and other natural river basin planning systems for five sub- disasters specific to South Asia. The guidelines basins in India. Some 62 participants attended set out an integrated framework that brings two basic trainings on river basin operation together credible climate information, climate software (November 2016 and January 2017), impact assessment and decision-making tools to and 26 participants benefitted from advanced help governments better account for climate risks training on the Riverware software for water in the planning of investments. The guidelines resources planning and management (May 2017). were developed with input from IHA, ICOLD and A further 24 people participated in training on EBRD, in addition to case studies provided by real time reservoir operation. The trainees were Hydro Tasmania, Landsvirkjun, EDF and Manitoba water resources engineers from Ganges and Hydro, and involved an extensive stakeholder Brahmaputra riparian states. Training resources process with major international hydropower are available at www.indiaiwrm.org. and dams industry stakeholders, among others. • The SAWI-financed IUCN and ICIMOD RE The guidelines are part of a broader World Bank activities are building on the two-year capacity initiative under the Hydropower and Dams Global building program to provide sustainable training Solutions Group to enhance the effectiveness, at scale. They are supporting the design of short quality, and sustainability of World Bank Group training modules and curricula in water diplomacy operations and advisory services related to and basin governance for uptake by participating hydropower and dams. The guidelines will soon universities, in addition to enhancing partnerships be ready to be applied at the project and basin across research institutes and universities level, and will be widely disseminated. SAWI throughout the region to promote cross-border also supported the upgrading of the Reservoir collaboration on water related research. Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 28 • A two-year capacity strengthening program SAWI recognizes that women are key stakeholders— covering various topics (basic and advanced both in terms of ensuring that their interests are water resources management, transboundary equally represented and that they benefit from water governance, etc.) is near completion. In SAWI and its related activities. The integration of all, seventeen government officials from the gender issues in transboundary water management Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh and the is challenging, because fundamental shifts in Bangladesh Ministry of Water Resources and mind-sets are required in a sector that has been Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and government traditionally male dominated. SAWI has struggled officials from Bhutan and Afghanistan over the years to work within and indeed overcome participated in eleven training courses offered this constraint; to fully grasp the connection by internationally renowned institutions.20 between transboundary water management and Participants have stressed the value of the gender concerns; and to meaningfully integrate trainings in building professional capacity and gender concerns into a program that primarily networks, and have noted that they would use the focuses on policies and government-level decisions knowledge gained to educate others within their rather than at the grassroots level. respective government departments. However, SAWI is taking proactive steps to address Scoping Interventions and Investments this challenge. Following feedback from the • Technical assistance supported early stage previous annual reviews, and consistent with the implementation of the World Bank Neeranchal World Bank’s Gender Strategy 2016-2023, SAWI Watershed Project21 ($178.5M), including is better integrating gender issues within the strengthening coordination with related regional program. The program is applying the World Bank’s programs on basin-level water resources, guidance Toolkit for Mainstreaming Gender in Water watershed management and climate resilience. Operations (March 2016), which focuses on five key aspects: • SAWI support strengthened the design of the NGMIP22 ($1B with government co-financing) and (1) Gender Analysis: SAWI has conducted initial created a solid foundation for regional work on analysis to identify the issues, needs and contextual groundwater that will commence in FY18. factors affecting male and female stakeholders. However, more in-depth targeted work on social 2.3. CROSS-CUTTING THEMES inclusion in transboundary water management with a focus on gender is planned to commence in FY18. Gender This builds on the ongoing work by the World Bank’s Water GP on social inclusion and water. A recent World Bank literature review on gender and water (currently in draft)23 has found that analysis (2) M&E: This year, SAWI has initiated a gender on gender and transboundary water is limited. mapping that shows entry points within each of Two themes dominate the empirical literature: (1) the technical areas at the state / local, national barriers to water supply and sanitation; and (2) water and transboundary levels. This is helping SAWI to and agriculture. A strand of literature also focuses monitor gender disaggregated results, assess progress on rainfall shocks, land and health. and prioritize its forward gender approaches. From FY17, all SAWI Task Team Leaders (TTLs) have 20 Training institutions include Tufts University, Harvard University and MIT; UNESCO-IHE; Asian Institute of Technology; and University of Dundee. 21 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P132739/neeranchal-national-watershed-project?lang=en 22 See http://projects.worldbank.org/P158119?lang=en 23 World Bank (draft 2017): The Rising Tide, A New Look at Gender and Water 29 SAWI Annual Report started reporting in their annual Grant Report and Tackling Issues of Poverty and Social Inclusion Monitorings (GRMs) on gender mainstreaming actions and what difference this is making, while providing The Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra Basins are supporting evidence where possible. home to millions of extremely poor, marginalized and vulnerable people. More than 200 million people (3) Targeting and participation: SAWI strives to live below the poverty line in the Ganges Basin in meaningfully engage beneficiaries and other India alone, and the Sundarbans is home to about 7.5 stakeholders in gender sensitive project design million people with an average per capita income of and implementation. Many SAWI initiatives have less than US$1 per day—the vast majority of whom an outreach component to ensure balanced are exposed to regular and highly destructive natural participation of women in dialogues so that their disasters. As stated elsewhere in this report (Box voices are heard. For example, the Ganga Strategic 2), SAWI’s FRA has been completed this year and Basin Planning work has adopted a participatory can be used to generate risk reports and estimate process of involving stakeholders through interactive losses for areas with severely impacted populations, workshops at State and basin levels, and is disaggregated by gender. This is expected to considering issues of gender equality. help governments to prioritize their response to populations and areas that would benefit from (4) Public awareness and social marketing: A key immediate attention to flood risk reduction. element of SAWI is oriented toward informing and effecting behavioural changes among water users in SAWI support to improve water resources the way they manage shared resources. Gender issues management in these international basins will constitute an important part of this approach. For indirectly benefit the millions of their poor instance, the conceptual framework for crowdsourcing inhabitants. SAWI’s overall approach is oriented to water quality data (refer Box 10) adopts a gender ensure that its activities take account of poverty and lens both in terms of assessing the social conditions social inclusion issues. This is explicit in each of the within which it is applied, as well as the relevance and Focus Area Strategies, complemented by a range of usefulness to both men and women. supportive activities such as risk and vulnerability assessments from flooding, economic and livelihood (5) Capacity Building and organizational impacts from climate change, and water quality development: SAWI is taking measures to help build and availability. Increasing pressures on water requisite skills and knowledge of its stakeholders for resources, due to population growth, urbanization, gender-sensitive water resource management, and and industrialization, have the most severe impacts ensuring the inclusion of female participants. on the basic livelihoods of poor people, which are intimately linked to water resources through water A gender mapping of selected activities against supply and sanitation, irrigation for subsistence these five areas at the state / local, national and agriculture, inland fisheries, hydropower, and transboundary levels is provided in Annex V. dependence on ecosystem goods and services. Box 5: Women in Inland Navigation As part of the Sundarbans dialogue, SAWI held a workshop (April 2017, Kolkata) on the participation and employment of women in inland navigation. The event brought together women leaders from the shipping industry; representatives from academic institutions responsible for training of inland shipping crew; women from the National Cadet Corps; and women from the local community involved in commercial boat operations. The Government of West Bengal has requested that similar workshops be held in all coastal and estuarine districts. Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 30 Box 6: Sundarbans – Human Development Poor women in the Sundarbans rely on fish for their main protein intake, but climate change is a threat to water resources and the fisheries sector. SAWI’s gender-focused study is assessing the health of mothers, status of child nutrition and stunting in early years, and exploring the causal linkages with dietary habits of expectant mothers. This is likely to lead to a larger investment program for improving women and children’s nutritional status through conservation and productive use of water resources and fisheries development. The poor are also vulnerable to negative health the basin scale, flood forecasting technologies and consequences caused by reduced water quality. techniques (Ganges and Brahmaputra); hydro-met SAWI is also helping to strengthen capacity of and disaster resilience (Bhutan); and reservoir stakeholders by introducing them to key concepts— sediment management to adapt to impacts of for instance, a training course was held for Nepal climate change, among others. Electricity Authority (NEA) staff in April 2017 on the • An in-depth assessment of water resources “Process of Social Impact Assessment”. and climate change in South Asia (with several volumes covering the science of water and Climate Change and Building Resilience climate change, institutional and policy aspects, and economic impacts) has been completed. The aim of building resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change strongly underpins • Hydrological, ecological and econometric studies all of the SAWI activities, and its approaches are are ongoing for vulnerability assessment of the aligned with country climate adaptation and disaster ecosystem (Sundarbans) to enhance awareness risk management priorities. It is also a priority for of climate change risks, promote technical the World Bank’s South Asia Regional Strategy. cooperation, build a knowledge base to support joint management, and facilitate planning a SAWI tackles these challenges through knowledge holistic approach to the sustainable management generation, capacity building and dialogue. For of this extremely fragile mangrove forest. example: • Analytic studies on impacts of climate change on • More than 400 researchers and officials from mangrove species are complete for Bangladesh Bangladesh and India have benefitted from and India (Sundarbans). participating in a workshop on modeling of • A joint research program on climate change in the the physical impacts of climate change on the Indus has been initiated under the Indus Forum. Sundarbans. • SAWI has developed and disseminated several The design and implementation of all SAWI activities analytical tools and approaches to build resilience in FY17 was compliant with the World Bank’s to climate change and to mitigate flood risks, environmental and social safeguard policies This including climate risk screening for the design of includes compliance with the policy on Projects on climate resilient water resources infrastructure at International Waterways (7.50). Box 7: Climate Change Roadmap for Bhutan A Road Map for Bhutan on “Modernizing Weather, Water and Climate Services” has been published and disseminated. This detailed analysis of existing hydro-met monitoring networks, forecasting and early warning systems for Bhutan was prepared through extensive consultations with the Royal Government of Bhutan. It contributed to the preparation of the World Bank’s Hydro-met Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project in Bhutan ($3.8M), approved September 2016 and jointly funded by SAWI and GFDRR. 31 SAWI Annual Report Box 8: Engaging the Private Sector SAWI supported the Nepal Power Summit 2016 The cost-benefit analysis of climate investments in (December), organized by the Independent Power Bangladesh includes surveys and interviews with more Producers Association of Nepal, which brought together than 120 private sector experts on their sources, uses, investors, developers, policymakers and civil society to and values for current and potentially improved weather realize the government’s target of 10,000 MW installed and water information, as well as national public in 10 years. surveys on the value of improved hydro-meteorological information for households. Private Sector water resources infrastructure, and numerous technical studies that have informed investment SAWI encourages the participation of private sector design and filled critical knowledge gaps, e.g., actors in discussion forums and events as part of in the Brahmaputra Basin and Sundarbans the wider stakeholder engagement strategy, as well Landscape. as consultation on specific issues and investment • Innovative methods have been used to overcome potential. Furthermore, SAWI activities are also the challenges of unavailable, unreliable and creating the enabling environment for private incompatible data. For instance, during the sector participation (e.g. Bangladesh Delta Plan development of a uniform hydro-met information 2100). There appears to be growing interest of the system in the Sundarbans, the SAWI team made a private sector to engage in transboundary water significant breakthrough after painstaking efforts issues, as indicated by recent discussions with the to trace archive data from the Dampier-Hodges South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Survey (conducted in 1876, but since forgotten), Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC-CCI) which will help in delineating the natural on potential collaboration in a planned workshop boundary of the Landscape and in correcting on transboundary waters and climate change. IFC is myths. SAWI has also adjusted to the problem also increasingly engaged in SAWI-related activities, of lack of information sharing between riparian and will be co-hosting an international workshop countries or of poor ground-level data by using (October 2017) on sediment management to train real-time satellite data for transboundary rainfall practitioners from South Asia on tools to extend the and flood forecasting. Crowdsourcing methods life of reservoirs developed through SAWI support. have improved the availability and accuracy of water quality data (refer Box 10 below). Innovation • SAWI has adopted social media to reach a broader audience and inform wider discussion SAWI is adopting multiple strategies and actions to on these critical issues (thus incorporating a adapt to existing challenges, to create and harness recommendation for broader outreach from new opportunities, and to shift intractable positions SAWI-I). For example, during the two-day on transboundary cooperation. For example: regional stakeholder workshop in Sri Lanka (July 2016) on climate risks and water resources • The development and dissemination of several management, deliberations were supported new tools and technical knowledge, coupled with by communication and outreach platforms— training in their use, is helping to build capacity messaging reached more than 234,000 people, of officials and inform action. This includes the and live tweeting of the event led to 38,000 development and application of modeling tools impressions on Twitter. for basin planning and management (refer Box 9 below), methods for building climate resilient Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 32 Box 9: Tools for Integrated Water Resources A unique “WaterWare” software has been introduced for the first time in India (Ganges) that can help to optimize reservoir operation for multiple uses including hydropower, irrigation and domestic uses, while also ensuring minimization of flood. The model has also been linked with real time climate data so that it can be used to forecast flows and for operational planning. Indian water professionals have indicated their eagerness to apply this tool, even without formal training, because of its ease of use. Box 10: Crowdsourcing Data for Water Quality Monitoring SAWI has developed a citizen-centric framework for crowd-sourced data to improve water quality monitoring (published November 2016). This combines public participation in the scientific process (“citizen science”) with modern technologies to collect and disseminate data (“crowdsourcing”). It is expected that this framework will enable citizens to receive real-time water quality status, and help water management agencies to undertake less costly screening and to respond to water quality incidents in a timely manner. It also offers planners and decision- makers access to key information on the type of water use, locations of water sources accessed, timing of use and seasonality patterns of water use. 2.4. PORTFOLIO SPEND AND EFFICIENCY activities was $29.9M. Cumulative disbursement stood at $16.7M. Of this, disbursement in FY17 Financial Expenditure was $5.67M, down from a disbursement of $6.4M in FY16.24 An additional $4.3M was committed in SAWI resources have almost been fully allocated. contracts. The cumulative Focus Area financials In FY17, 33 activities were under implementation for FY17 are summarized in the figure below. The and 10 activities were completed. Up to the end of detailed breakdown of the financial status for each FY17, the cumulative allocation to approved SAWI Focus Area is given in Annex IV. Implementation Status by Window, FY17 ($M) 12 Disbursements 10 Commitments Available balance 8 6 4 2 - SUN BRB GRB IRB REG Program 33 SAWI Annual Report Table 1: SAWI Financials (Cumulative to June 30, 2017) (USD $M) (USD $M) a. Donor disbursements (of the overall pledge of $30.7M) 30.64 b. Amount allocated for established activities 29.86 - Disbursed up to June 2017 (including $5.67M in FY17) 16.74 - Committed in contracts but not yet spent 4.34 - Balance for approved activities 8.78 c. Overall Balance (activities awaiting internal approval) (a-b) 0.78 VALUE FOR MONEY requests for proposals, contract forms), conflict of interest, advance contracting, co-financing, fraud and SAWI is administered in accordance with World Bank corruption. established procedures to ensure that the funds are spent efficiently and effectively to deliver Value for The World Bank is able to draw in international Money following transparent standards. The World best practice, as well as independent and credible Bank has demonstrated efficiency through timely expertise that regional or local governments would decisions to top up, claw back, add or drop certain otherwise not be able to harness. SAWI’s positioning activities where the external environment or demand within the World Bank has been critical to achieving has changed, or where there is changed scope for effectiveness by leveraging technical and financial their uptake, including through larger investments. support in a way that has a multiplier effect. This The SAWI program was critically reviewed by the has been accomplished by leveraging the World Secretariat in FY17, which resulted in a net savings Bank’s country portfolios and presence; tapping of more than $3M. These savings will be reallocated into the World Bank’s deep partnerships with global to other activities in FY18 (further details are collaborators to harness regional experience and provided in Section 3.4). networks; applying its experience and expertise in managing trust funds, thereby streamlining SAWI maintains economy in its procurement, administrative costs; and drawing on strong global minimizing costs and ensuring high quality, by requiring technical expertise of World Bank staff across GPs, that all RE activities finance goods, works and services such as Water, Energy and Extractives, Environment, in accordance with the World Bank’s guidelines on and Social, Urban, Rural & Resilience. “Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits” and the World Bank’s guidelines on the “Selection and Financial Management and Fiduciary Risks Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers,” jointly referred to as the “Procurement and Consultant Ethics: The World Bank requires all trust fund Guidelines.” For all BE SAWI activities, the World beneficiaries and bidders to observe the highest Bank is responsible for procurement of goods as well standard of ethics in World Bank-financed grants as employment and supervision of consultants in and contracts. All SAWI grants are subject to the accordance with applicable policies and procedures, World Bank’s Anti-Corruption Guidelines, the including travel according to established procedure. Procurement and Consultant Guidelines, and the The guidelines provide specific instructions for use of Standard Conditions for Trust Fund Grants, which World Bank documents (standard bidding documents, delineate standard operating procedures for any Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 34 fraud issues. The Anti-Corruption Guidelines provide strong relationships in all of the seven countries, for certain actions to be taken by grant recipients to which will sustain beyond SAWI funding. Furthermore, prevent and combat fraud and corruption, and the as SAWI is closely aligned with the World Bank’s Standard Conditions provide for suspension and/or regional strategy and is informing several strategic cancellation of disbursements, as well as the refund country-level investments, there is strong likelihood of disbursed grant proceeds in the event that fraud that these provide a strong vehicle for continued and corruption does occur. dialogue and action to support country priorities. Audits and Financial Management: The World Bank Institutional Partnerships provides donors, within six months following the end SAWI’s shift from sponsoring individual practitioners of each World Bank FY, with an Annual Single Audit to working in partnership with regional-based Report in respect of all cash-based trust funds, organizations (e.g. WWF, ICIMOD, SaciWATERs, comprising: (1) a management assertion together IUCN, etc.) on various activities is noteworthy and with an attestation signed by the external auditors an important part of the sustainability approach. concerning the adequacy of internal controls over This is helping to promote the uptake of SAWI cash-based financial reporting for trust funds as products, create synergies, reach wider audiences, a whole; and (2) a combined financial statement and strengthen the platform for sub-regional together with the external auditor’s opinion thereon. cooperation. By supporting regional participation The Single Audit Report finds no instances in international fora, SAWI is bringing more of corruption or fraudulent conduct in stakeholders on board. For instance, the Sundarbans FY17, and is available at: http://web. work has engaged the media as a stakeholder to worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/ help raise awareness of environmental issues, and EXTABOUTUS/0,,contentMDK:22669594~menuPK: to shift the public discourse. SAWI is also reaching 8336873~pagePK:51123644~piPK:329829~theSite constituents at the local level, for instance, through PK:29708,00.html. consultations to raise awareness and ensure that voices are represented. In the case of RE trust funds, recipients are required to maintain adequate financial management systems, Capacity Building and Embedding Knowledge prepare annual financial statements in accordance with The uptake of new systems, tools and knowledge accounting standards acceptable to the World Bank, is being pursued by all activities through multiple and to have these statements audited by independent strategies and avenues. The vast majority of auditors acceptable to the World Bank. The recipient activities are at the request of government agencies is also required to submit interim financial reports and / or link closely with larger country programs. acceptable to the World Bank. Each RE trust fund SAWI’s capacity building activities are focused operation involves a Financial Management Specialist toward supporting institutions engaged in water who reviews financial management compliance of the resource management and related organizations (e.g. recipient and is responsible for reporting instances of energy, disaster risk management). Key stakeholders non-compliance. are brought on board at an early stage and involved in the process of development through discussions 2.5. SUSTAINABILITY APPROACH in formal and informal settings, training events, study visits and exchanges to demonstrate its Relationships successful application elsewhere, and by facilitating SAWI enables the World Bank to directly engage with joint research where appropriate. There are several senior government and non-government stakeholders successful examples of the uptake of SAWI products; on transboundary water management. The World for instance, the IWRM, flood forecasting and data Bank is a significant partner in South Asia and has management tools in the Ganges. However, it is 35 SAWI Annual Report unlikely that all of the knowledge generated will time and the first activity will need to be calibrated be fully taken up or embedded within government carefully to ensure its successful implementation. systems and processes during the lifetime of SAWI. A knowledge repository is being developed that will 2.6. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, STRATEGIC be a publicly available resource beyond the program. COMMUNICATIONS, M&E Enabling Environment Program Management SAWI has invested in building up informal SAWI sits within the World Bank’s South Asia institutional processes (such as the dialogues) Region’s Regional Integration and Partnerships which are showing promise—for instance, through (SARRP). It remains an important and strategic more active engagement of the working groups instrument for the World Bank in South Asia, and with government (e.g. Sundarbans BISRCI); the World Bank’s senior managers devote significant joint research efforts (e.g. IF-WG); senior levels time in providing a strategic steer. The World of participation and candid discussions (e.g. Bank’s Internal Review Committee (IRC) for SAWI International RiverSymposium); and agreement by is chaired by the Director, SARRP and represented riparians to engage in basin-level forums for the by senior staff, including the Chief Economist, first time (e.g. Brahmaputra dialogue processes). and GP Managers of all relevant sectors. The IRC These will need continued support to be able to meets once a year to approve the annual work plan, gain momentum. Without financial support, some endorse all new activities over $50,000, and conduct SAWI activities are unlikely to sustain in their current an annual review of program implementation. The form in the medium term. Direct funding for these World Bank’s Team Practice Managers (Water), activities through the World Bank has been critical based in Delhi and DC, maintain technical oversight. in ensuring that the dialogues are approached in a politically neutral and participatory manner; and any At the operational level, the Team Leader and future funding will need to manage risks of biased Assistant Team Leader (Delhi and DC based) perception by stakeholders that might derail these manage the program and ensure technical quality processes. Targeted training of government agency control, track progress through several monitoring staff and exposure visits for senior officials, and tools, including an internal dashboard system and technical training for staff of research institutions the annual Grant Report and Monitoring (GRM) has helped to introduce new concepts, and increase process, and regularly follow up with TTLs to understanding of the ways in which challenges can ensure that activities are delivered in a timely be tackled through collaborative approaches. SAWI and cost-effective manner. Administration and is working with other national institutions (e.g. Indian financial management are handled by the Trust Institute of Technology (IIT)) to develop advanced Fund Program Manager in DC. A communications curricula so that efforts can be sustained. specialist supports implementation of the program Communications and Engagement Strategy. Two Investments M&E specialists support SAWI to streamline SAWI is closely aligned with national priorities and monitoring and reporting systems, gather evidence- programs and supporting forward investment plans, based and tangible results, shift the emphasis funding demonstrators that can be replicated more to reporting against intermediate outcomes, and widely, drawing in private sector and civil society into develop approaches to assess effectiveness. These discussions, and informing World Bank portfolios are being used to inform the World Bank’s senior in-country. SAWI is helping to foster a supportive management’s decision-making. environment and fast-track joint investment— particularly in the Sundarbans, where the opportunities Strategic Communications and M&E are more immediate—but even this is likely to take The SAWI Communications and Engagement Strategy (endorsed by donors in 2014) focuses on establishing Section 2: FY17 Reporting Annual Progress 36 SAWI’s credibility as a source of robust knowledge the Indus Media Dialogue led by IWMI). The Weekly and as a facilitator of cooperative dialogue on water Media Digests, servicing 300 subscribers, helps resources management across South Asia. The to keep SAWI’s extended team and stakeholders regional/basin level dialogue fora have been main updated on the latest relevant developments. This avenues for targeted outreach of evidence generated comprehensive compilation of news reports and by SAWI. These fora often provide direct access to editorials gives a 360-degree view of how water- policymakers, opinion leaders and practitioners who related issues are covered in different countries and are the intended beneficiaries of the knowledge the media narrative that informs public perception. products. For example, key findings from the climate change risks in water resources management study This strategic approach to communications has helped were shared at the July 2017 Indus Knowledge Forum SAWI to evolve from the closed-door Abu Dhabi in Colombo, attended by more than 100 delegates Dialogue process to a more open and engaged network from Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan. At the of decision makers, water practitioners, academics, International RiverSymposium 2016, which was think tanks and civil society representatives, who attended by the South Asia government officials, increasingly recognize the value of the SAWI program. SAWI publications were disseminated to more than As Phase II approaches completion, SAWI will give 400 participants and well-received by the delegates, greater focus to dissemination and uptake of program as evidenced by their interest for more information outputs. This could, for instance, include building and from the feedback received. Interactive tools narratives around the value of cooperation and benefit such as Spatial Agent, the FRA Atlas, and the Indus sharing and other fit for purpose communications GIS mapping, developed with SAWI support, were products such as policy briefs and infographics for showcased during the event and generated significant targeted dissemination. interest. Annex III contains a list of knowledge products. This year, SAWI has strengthened its M&E approach to better capture and assess the impact of the program. SAWI’s external website (http://www.worldbank. As the program completes its fourth year, the SAWI org/en/programs/sawi#6) serves as a knowledge team is increasingly focused on gathering evidence- repository and dissemination platform. The website based results across the four intermediate outcome features the current FY implementation plan, areas in the Results Framework (see Annex I). Result activities supported under the different Focus Areas, stories are captured as and when these become and a calendar of upcoming events. Program updates available and are updated regularly (an example is are shared with donors on a bi-monthly basis, as in Box 2). These are shared with donors and within well as across World Bank Country Offices and the World Bank. Progress is being reviewed against GPs (Water, Energy and Extractives, Environment the assumptions in the original Theory of Change and SURR) to facilitate internal communication, and the Focus Area Strategies. This year, SAWI is promote cross learning, and build synergies. Direct using its framework to assess progress against engagement with the media is limited due to gender mainstreaming, but this remains work in sensitivities around transboundary waters, but SAWI progress and is being strengthened. A number of consistently partners with organizations such as challenges remain. SAWI’s design means that its IWMI, IWA, and The Third Pole Project to create activities are oriented toward facilitating and enabling visibility around its activities and to acknowledge wider change over a long time period. This makes it donor contributions. Partner networks are used to challenging to directly attribute impacts and report inject scientific evidence into the public discourse concrete results. SAWI is therefore using a qualitative on transboundary water management, while keeping narrative to assess progress, supported by examples the SAWI/World Bank footprint low to minimize risk and quantitative data. Further, SAWI may not be able (e.g., the 2016 South Asia Groundwater Forum and to claim certain results given particular sensitivities. SECTION 3 LESSONS AND FORWARD LOOK Dawn over the Himalayan range Section 3: Lessons and Forward Look 38 3.1. LESSONS What Has Worked Less Well • SAWI is taking active steps to better integrate SAWI-II is in its fourth year of implementation, gender concerns in the program. However, there with a number of activities in advanced stages of are challenges in tracking quantitative results implementation (and several closed). Over the disaggregated by gender, given the upstream course of the program, several lessons have been nature of the work and the long gestation period learned on what has and has not worked. The of activity impacts. There is also a trade-off lessons that are informing the program moving between designing specific approaches early forward include the following: on in the program versus flexibly integrating gender issues into activities and discussions with What Has Worked Well partners as these arise. • The incremental approach to build trust and • SAWI works very closely with clients in designing confidence starting at the technical level and and implementing activities so that they are working up to the policy level is a sensible one, of most use and relevance. However, there and has led to building a common understanding, have been challenges in ensuring immediate better priority setting, greater stakeholder uptake of outputs (e.g. Bihar flood forecasting). ownership and calls for action. This is due to capacity and other operational • Over time, activities that strengthen capacity constraints, such as high rates of attrition of for transboundary negotiation and management government staff. However, as most activities have aided in leveling an uneven playing field are part of larger World Bank investment and empowered relatively weaker parties to programs that will continue into the future, the play a more active role in discussions around uptake and sustainability of the knowledge and transboundary waters. tools generated can be strengthened through • Analytical work and technical assistance financed follow-on investment activity. Start-up time for by SAWI has enabled shaping (national) water some activities has taken longer than expected investments and engagement in ways that (as reported in earlier sections). This is in part better reflect transboundary considerations, due to internal processing and due diligence including by supporting the World Bank’s wider requirements. However, capacity constraints have lending operations. There are signs that evidence significantly affected the initiation of some RE and informed discussions on the benefits of activities, e.g., Nepal hydropower with WECS. transboundary cooperation are paving the way to • Ultimate program impact will depend not simply joint regional initiatives. on the outcomes of individual activities. SAWI is • Following a mutually supporting top-down and proactively addressing the need for the portfolio bottom-up approach is effective. This includes of activities to add up to more than the sum of working within countries to advance cooperation the parts by redirecting resources strategically for in water management to provide a strong basis greater impact. Tracking and attribution of results from which to build international cooperation, to SAWI remains a challenge. As the program while supporting informed dialogue and the reaches maturity the SAWI team is placing greater alignment of capacity and interests across focus on articulating SAWI’s contribution to countries. shifting the needle toward improved cooperation in transboundary waters. The design of any future 39 SAWI Annual Report program could consider discrete funds for pilot and China’s policies in South Asia. SAWI is tackling activities that were directly targeted to benefit this through knowledge sharing, informal regional people, so as to assess impact. and basin-level dialogues represented by influential members, and broadening its partnerships so that it 3.2. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES can work with and through others to move toward a common agenda. This includes RE activities to build SAWI is operating within a complex, diverse and ownership and sustainability, being fleet footed in rapidly changing regional political environment responding to opportunities as these emerge, and further complicated by climate change and adjusting approaches to avoid processes from stalling. environmental stresses. There are significant differences in the geopolitics of the eastern and Multiple Incentives western regions of South Asia, including how the Nationally, there are multiple incentives and countries interface with their neighbours. Although priorities that intersect with transboundary there are some positive signs toward increasing water governance. For most riparian countries, cooperation in the region, several key challenges management of the rivers is a national security issue, within which SAWI works remain: requiring the involvement of multiple Ministries and sub-national administrative units. This is time Evolving Political Economy intensive and slows the pace of progress, as buy-in The evolving political economy context impacts needs to be achieved across multiple government progress, is largely out of SAWI’s control, and requires agencies and sub-national entities. For instance, flexibility in approach. Power asymmetry among the India’s emphasis on its National Water Policy seven riparian countries is a significant constraint to largely reduces the political imperative for pursuing regional cooperation and basin level management of a regional agenda.25 Furthermore, water is a state the rivers. This is driven by a combination of factors, subject and the sharing of rivers is a contentious including national interests, regional politics and issue. The sub-regional dialogue processes enable events, security considerations, and international representation of diverse stakeholder perspectives relations. India is a riparian in all of SAWI’s five Focus (including government backed think tanks and Areas, and remains a significant regional player independent civil society institutions). At the in terms of its growing economic clout, ambitious national level, SAWI’s support is closely aligned with Act East policy, and its bilateral relations with its country priorities and is helping to inform policy- regional neighbors. Bilateral relations between relevant issues. Through the process of development Bangladesh-India are increasingly positive, and there and dissemination of knowledge and tools, SAWI is willingness to progress discussions on potential engages key stakeholders and opinion makers at an data sharing and co-management of projects on both early stage. the Sundarbans Landscape and the Brahmaputra Basin. However, unresolved issues remain (e.g., Technically Promising Avenues and Political water sharing arrangements of the Teesta). Bilateral Constraints relations between India-Pakistan and China-India Technically promising avenues often do not mesh have become strained this year primarily due to issues with political economy constraints. In South Asia of security, and the continued complexity of relations (as elsewhere), transboundary water management affect cooperation between Afghanistan-Pakistan. is complex and highly political. This means Regional dynamics are further influenced by India that good technical work is a necessary but not 21 “Negotiations about sharing and management of water of international rivers should be done on bilateral basis in consultative association with riparian States keeping paramount the national interest. Adequate institutional arrangements at the Center should be set up to implement international agreements”. http://wrmin.nic.in/writereaddata/NationalWaterPolicy/NWP2012Eng6495132651.pdf Section 3: Lessons and Forward Look 40 always sufficient condition for improved political dialogue but would need permissions and alignment collaboration. The strategy to link ‘technical work’ with government to fund regional investments. to ‘Track I’ policy work was explicit in the design of The Sundarbans Landscape is considering the the SAWI program, but remains a challenge. SAWI development of a proposal for funding from the aims to tackle this by ensuring that the technical Green Climate Fund (GCF), a financial mechanism work is policy-oriented, relevant and responsive under the UNFCCC, but this thinking is at initial to government priorities. The basin dialogues are stages. The World Bank Country portfolios support enabling SAWI to expand to reach a broader set of large investment programs, but regional investments stakeholders and to engage more closely with high- are limited and India is no longer eligible for IDA level policymakers. These platforms act as avenues funding. SAWI grant funds are therefore a critical for SAWI’s technical work to be disseminated and to resource for preparatory work in India, and for influence thinking more widely. maintaining momentum on a regional agenda, which would otherwise be left under-funded and Limited and Assymetric Capacity unsupported. Limited and asymmetric capacity across the SAWI region presents challenges for uptake and Leaving No One Behind sustainability. This includes frequent changes in key Traditional engineering-based approaches have interlocutors (e.g. transfers of officials) that make dominated water management. SAWI has used the continuity and sustaining momentum difficult. This dialogues as a platform to discuss issues around has been a significant challenge particularly in terms representation of vulnerable populations, indigenous of maintaining the pace of work. The SAWI teams groups and gender issues. This requires shifting continue to invest significant efforts in building mind-sets, working around perverse incentives and relationships, and direct significant resources toward placing these issues sensitively into discussions. capacity building activities for sustained results. SAWI has also consulted with stakeholders at local levels, and is integrating gender and climate change Security Concerns into its activities. However, this remains work in Security concerns, particularly in Afghanistan, progress and SAWI is strengthening its approaches in constrain the intended pace of activity. The World this regard. Bank has a robust security policy that applies to its staff and consultants. Nevertheless, the increasing SAWI’s Regional Coverage frequency and intensity of attacks in Afghanistan has China’s involvement in SAWI has been relatively implications for the pace of work, and government limited, but there appears to be increasing interest attention is diverted elsewhere. SAWI is managing on regional engagement that could be considered this by working with other agencies and by investing in the future. Up to this point, Myanmar has not in building capacity of targeted Afghani officials been covered under SAWI, but it is part of the highly to sustain their interest. SAWI is able to deliver vulnerable Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta. trainings via telecommunications technology with Any future programming could consider engaging local staff present during periods of restricted travel Myanmar, including through dissemination of SAWI for international staff and consultants due to the knowledge and approaches. established relations between SAWI and Afghani ministries. 3.3. RISKS AND MITIGATION Funding for Regional Investments SAWI’s overall risk rating remains Medium. The Collaborative projects are most likely to be SAWI Program Strategy (2013) identified five key financed by government resources and private implementation risks and mitigation measures, on sector investment. The private sector is engaged in which an update is provided below: 41 SAWI Annual Report Financial Risks donor partners, and information sharing on critical Low Risk: The key financial risk of a reduction in or issues as these arise. The risk of poor integration lack of program funding remains low. An emerging with World Bank operations remains low. SAWI has risk is not being able to fully and effectively built strong linkages into the World Bank’s lending utilize remaining funds in the available time. SAWI operations through support to project design and is increasingly adopting an adaptive approach supervision, and through joint policy dialogue with to program management, redirecting activities government clients. strategically where appropriate, and cutting back or closing non-performing activities. Other risks Reputational Risks include financial sustainability to continue efforts Low Risk: Risks at the start-up of SAWI-II in 2013 beyond the program, and SAWI is working with included: (1) perceived poor quality; and (2) dialogue partners on options. processes that enter spheres inappropriate for World Bank engagement. As noted above, SAWI is Operational Risks strengthening its application of World Bank internal Low/Medium Risk: Two key operational risks were quality control processes for activity design and identified: (1) loss of key program staff; and (2) delivery. The focus is shifting from activity design poorly designed or executed activities. The first and activity initiation to quality control of outputs risk is being adequately managed—a qualified and effective communication and dissemination team, supported by top World Bank management, of findings. SAWI dialogue activities have been is firmly in place. The risk of poorly designed or carefully designed to be appropriate to the World executed activities remains. The review process Bank’s role. for activity designs remains important as does ongoing supervision and quality control across all Security Risks activities by the program management team. To Medium-High Risk. In-country security risks date, the execution of activities and the quality of were identified as having the potential to slow their outputs has been uneven. SAWI is becoming implementation of some activities. Where necessary, increasingly strict in applying World Bank internal the composition of teams and travel schedules of quality control processes that include extensive teams have been adjusted to allow for effective technical peer review and management sign off. engagement with local stakeholders. However, regional political relations continue to be tenuous Relationship Risks with bilateral tensions growing in some areas, and Medium Risk: Three key relationship risks were the security situation has intensified in some parts of identified: (1) reluctance of stakeholders to engage; the region. (2) disengagement of donor partners; and (3) poor integration with World Bank operations. The program 3.4. FORWARD LOOK is successfully engaging with an increasingly diverse body of stakeholders through multiple As this phase of funding enters maturity, SAWI is fora. Although engagement with stakeholders is ensuring the successful completion and quality generally positive, at the level of specific activities assurance of all ongoing activities, strengthening the pace of implementation has been dependent on outreach and uptake with partners, and putting in the willingness and readiness of key stakeholders, place measures for sustainability. At the same time, including government, to engage. Donor engagement the recent extension to December 31, 2018 has has positively increased during program presented the opportunity to make adjustments implementation, notwithstanding periodic changes based on variations in the pace and success of in donor representatives—for instance, through ongoing activities and to better align with strategic more regular formal and informal meetings with priorities. Section 3: Lessons and Forward Look 42 Lessons learned from experience to date (Section thematic areas for which specific activities are being 3.1) are informing program management going developed are as follows: forward. Measures are being put in place so that • Indus (including assessment of the hydrological ongoing and new activities can flexibly adapt to the knowledge base, issues surrounding dam design evolving operating environment—the opportunities and operation that have stalled progress, and a and challenges—that is discussed in various parts of social / poverty assessment) this report. Greater focus is being given to: • Inland navigation in BBIN • Adopting a more holistic approach to managing • Hydropower development (Afghanistan and SAWI, particularly in terms of consolidating Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan) activities within each Focus Area, facilitating • Groundwater management cross-learning across these, and working in close partnership with and through others. • Climate change, including impact on glaciers • Being more strategic on programming (i.e., linking • Non-monetary value of water, with a focus on national priorities with regional engagements), gender while promoting supply driven activities, innovation and new ideas. Forward priorities include pressing ahead on identifying and fast tracking activities that shift • Better aligning trust funded activities with entrenched positions and incentivize further country programs and pipeline investments, in collaboration; keeping momentum on the knowledge addition to the World Bank’s regional strategy. and advocacy platforms to promote mind-set shifts; • Improving alignment between World Bank GPs, and ensuring that knowledge and evidence are used including strengthening collaboration between to inform upcoming investments for the World Bank Water, Environment, Energy, Disaster Risk and for client countries. Management, and Agriculture. • Increasing efficiency in management, including Future funding support would be beneficial as it seeking opportunities to streamline and would enable fully embedding activities within client consolidate processes with the other regional country institutions, allow increasing alignment trust funds. and leveraging of the World Bank’s forward country strategies and investments currently under In line with the above principles and lessons learned development, and build on the momentum of the to date, in FY17 the active SAWI program was dialogues. There is potential to explore deeper critically reviewed by the Secretariat. The evaluation partnerships with other countries in the region and assessed progress, disbursement, quality of outputs, partners, including through the dissemination and future plans and projections. Activities were replication of SAWI knowledge and approaches. The identified for extensions, top ups and claw backs. upcoming donor-led SAWI Program Evaluation will This exercise resulted in net ‘savings’ of more than provide important input to inform possible future $3M. The majority of the savings came from one funding support. activity that faced significant capacity constraints and had not advanced as expected. Funds are currently being reallocated to activities that fall within six thematic areas. These thematic areas were identified based on a strategic analysis that explored key trends in cooperation in transboundary waters in South Asia, including shifting priorities and emerging entry points. The Fetching water in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh Annexes Annnexes 44 Annex I: Performance FY17 Results Dashboard Results Indicators IRB GRB BRB SUN REG TOTAL 1. Trust and confidence in regional or basin water management increased by dialogue processes 1.1 Number of regional and basin/landscape dialogue 1/1 0/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 4/5 processes facilitated or supported by SAWI 2. Stakeholder input to government decision making strengthened by participatory processes that facilitate transboundary knowledge generation and sharing 2.1 Number of regional, basin/landscape or sub-basin level participatory processes that support transboundary 1/0 1/1 2/0 1/1 0/0 5/2 knowledge generation and sharing and stakeholder input to government decision making 3. Capacity of water resources organizations strengthened in areas relevant to transboundary cooperation 3.1 Number of professionals trained in the aspects of water management, water policy or water diplomacy relevant 44/5 243/140 0/0 37/5 120/50 444/2003 to basin-scale planning and management or regional cooperation1 3.2 Number of key water management organizations with policy or technical capacity significantly strengthened by 4/2 24/40 1/2 9/2 15/4 49/50 SAWI activities in areas relevant to basin-scale planning or regional cooperation2 4. Regional, basin or sub-basin-level knowledge increased and accessible to stakeholders including decision makers 4.1 Number of regional, basin/landscape or sub-basin- level knowledge products produced and shared with key 2/1 2/2 7/2 3/1 9/2 23/8 stakeholders, including decision makers 5. Regional, basin or sub-basin-level interventions designed to improve livelihoods and ecosystem sustainability 5.1 Number of regional, basin or sub-basin-level feasibility 0/0 2/0 2/2 0/2 0/0 4/4 studies or intervention designs informed by SAWI activities Acronyms: Indus River Basin Focus Area (IRB); Ganges River Basin Focus Area (GRB); Brahmaputra River Basin Focus Area (BRB); Sundarbans Landsape Focus Area (SUN); Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area (REG) 1 3.1 tracks those who participated in training that was conducted over a sustained period of more than one day. 2 3.2 tracks “capacity strengthened” rather than the subjective “capacity significantly strengthened”. Water-related organizations that participated in training conducted over a sustained period (more than one day) are counted. 3 Performance targets were set in advance of detailed activity design. Actual target achievement depends on the level of client engagement. Momentum is building on client engagement in capacity building activities, which explains the strong performance this year. 45 SAWI Annual Report Program Outcome Indicators Development Progress Update for PDO Objective To increase regional 1. To support 1. SAWI has supported several formal or semi-formal sustained processes cooperation in five existing or for making or operationalizing water management decisions, including in the the management new bilateral Brahmaputra and Sundarbans, where there are well-established and ongoing of the Himalayan or multilateral platforms for discussion to inform decision-making and operationalize existing River systems to governance agreements (MoUs in the Sundarbans). SAWI has supported, in partnership deliver sustainable, processes with ICE WaRM and ADB, the drafting of Nepal’s IWRM Policy and Water fair and inclusive Resource Act. SAWI is also informing the development of Bhutan’s new development and Hydropower Policy, which will reflect the first-ever national guidelines for climate resilience hydropower development that take into account transboundary impacts. SAWI is contributing to India’s movement toward making data more transparent, and helped pave the way for data sharing between States and the Central government, which is now being operationalized under the NHP. 2. To inform $1B of 2. A number of SAWI activities link closely with World Bank investments investments and have contributed to investment design and supervision support. To date, investment projects valued at more than $3.7B in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan have been informed by SAWI. In other words, SAWI’s $31M has leveraged nearly 11 times that amount. This is a conservative figure as not all SAWI funds have been allocated or disbursed, and some investment projects are in early stages of conceptualization, so are not counted. 3. To improve 3. This qualitative indicator is difficult to measure, but there is evidence that the quality of the breadth and strength of stakeholder consultation has increased as a result planning processes of SAWI support. To take one example, SAWI support to the Brahmaputra underpinning new Dialogue is strengthening engagement of stakeholders beyond Assam to investments. improve the quality of preparation of the Assam Flood Project, and technical support to the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 has provided a framework for prioritizing investments over the next 15 years. New approaches for climate risk screening developed under SAWI provided a stronger technical basis for the design of hydropower investments in Nepal. Application of the Decision Tree framework, developed in part by SAWI, led to prefeasibility design changes to climate proof the proposed Upper Arun Hydropower Project in eastern Nepal, and provided proof of concept for the planning and design of climate resilient water resource infrastructure for hydropower development across the Kosi Basin. In India, SAWI-supported activities are providing proof of concept in flood forecasting and river basin planning that will be scaled up under ongoing lending operations. In Afghanistan, SAWI support ensured that transboundary considerations were adequately accounted for in the restructuring of a World Bank lending operation. Annnexes 46 FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone 1. Trust and confidence 1.1 Number of regional 4/5 *Met Expectations* in regional or basin and basin/landscape Three of four sub-regional dialogue processes are underway water management dialogues facilitated or and making good progress. SAWI’s value add has been in getting increased by dialogue supported by SAWI diverse stakeholders together, providing a neutral platform, processes bringing issues of gender and climate change onto the agenda, and using technical discourse to facilitate dialogue and discussion on a range of sensitive issues. Getting stakeholders to agree to and initiate joint research is a good beginning and an indication of growing confidence in the process, and discussions are underway to identify suitable projects for joint cooperation. Serving government officials are participating in Brahmaputra and Sundarbans dialogue processes and there is evidence that their involvement is constructively influencing discussions within government. For example, the participation of officials in the Brahmaputra Dialogue has led to an increasing appreciation of the need for basin-wide planning across the States of India sharing the Brahmaputra Basin, and between India and the co- riparians. The regional dialogue has been evolving, extending reach and having an increasing impact since the first event in 2015. Participant feedback notes that knowledge sharing is raising awareness of the status of the Himalayan Rivers, and “providing windows of opportunity to understand each other’s concerns for improved management of the Himalayan Rivers”. IRB [1]: (1) Indus Forum: A joint meeting (May 2017) between the IF and the UIB Network on how to strengthen collaboration and prepare for the Indus Knowledge Forum in July 2017. The proposal for a joint research program on climate change impacts in the Indus Basin was advanced, with a study tour on glacier monitoring to the Swiss Alps in October 2016. GRB [0]: (0) SAWI management took a decision to place the Ganges dialogue process on hold in FY17, while scoping opportunities for further engagement. BRB [1]: (1) Brahmaputra Forum dialogue: A regional-level workshop was held in Singapore in October 2016 (national-level workshops were also held in Bangladesh in June 2016, China in July 2016, India in August 2016 and Bhutan in September 2016). Workshops have provided a neutral platform for various stakeholders from the four riparian countries to engage, build a common understanding of the issues and challenges, and begin to identify potential opportunities for basin-wide collaboration. SUN [1]: (1) Sundarbans BISRCI dialogue found significant traction at the highest policymaking levels in both Bangladesh and India. BISRCI is facilitating the creation of a joint bilateral mechanism. REG [1]: (1) Regional Dialogue: International RiverSymposium (September 2016) brought together 450 delegates, including 249 delegates from India, of which 80 were officials from Indian state and central government water agencies. A panel event broke new ground, as multilateral discussions on water by government officials in South Asia remain highly sensitive. 47 SAWI Annual Report FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone 2. Stakeholder input to 2.1 Number of regional, 5/2 *Exceeded Expectations* government decision basin/landscape or sub- These participatory processes that bring together diverse making strengthened basin level participatory stakeholders are an offshoot of the basin-level dialogues and are by participatory processes that helping to raise awareness, share knowledge and best practice processes that support transboundary across multiple sectors, and to advance understanding on facilitate transboundary knowledge generation sensitive issues outside of formal dialogue processes. knowledge generation and sharing and and sharing stakeholder input to IRB [1]: government decision (1) A conference on Water and Environment: Sustainable making Development in a Changing Climate, held in Islamabad in October 2016, aimed at sharing best practices to build awareness and facilitate dialogue toward formulating an action plan to address climate change impacts in the Indus Basin. GRB [1]: (1) Under the Strategic Basin Planning process, considerable effort has gone into building the trust and confidence of the Government of India to engage in this work in close partnership with the 11 basin States. BRB [2]: (1) The preparation of the Investment Plan for Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 involved working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including Ministries, civil society, research organizations, the private sector and development partners. (1) Strategic Basin Assessment process in India and Bangladesh. SUN [1]: (1) Sundarbans dialogue: established and sustained local dialogues (between the community/local government and the state/federal levels of government), as this is critical to strengthening the current positive steps in Bangladesh-India dialogue and collaboration. REG [0]: (0) None targeted 3. Capacity of water 3.1 Number of 444/200 * Exceeded Expectations* resources organization professionals trained people SAWI has responded to rising demand for capacity building from strengthened in in the aspects of stakeholders, which has included exposure visits, targeted training areas relevant to water management, and technical workshops to embed new tools and knowledge, and transboundary water policy or water familiarization with social impact analysis and climate change cooperation diplomacy relevant to issues. basin-scale planning and management or IRB [44]: regional cooperation. (44) An extensive capacity building program for an inter- ministerial working group on transboundary waters, comprising technical-level staff representatives from the MEW, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Environmental Protection Agency. Training on transboundary water resources management covered a wide range of topics and issues related to dialogue and relations with co-riparians. Annnexes 48 FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone GRB [243]: (4) A high-level delegation (four participants, including the Minister and Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department of Government of Bihar) participated in a study tour to Tokyo, Japan in December 2016 to understand the institutional and technological perspectives of real-time flood forecasting and adopt the technology suitable for the State of Bihar. (See Box 2 in main report) (27) Training on river basin planning and management software was conducted for 27 participants (Central and State water resources engineers), including from water resource development departments of Ganges and Brahmaputra States. (2) Two officials from WRD attended a weeklong operational workshop on transboundary flood forecasting, organized by RIMES and UNESCAP, at AIT, Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2016. (210) Between February 2017 and June 2017, 210 Central and State government officials were trained under the Collaborative Modeling Phase, on the rainfall-runoff models, groundwater model and water distribution model in four States (40 participants) and in Delhi (seven workshops for 170 participants). BRB [0]: (0) None targeted. SUN [37]: (37) A hands-on training on modeling of cyclone induced storm surges and river water salinity in a changing climate took place at in Kolkata in February 2017. Participants had the opportunity to review the MIKE 21 hydrodynamic model and how to process input data and climate change parameters for rainfall runoff using different hydrological models for simulation of location specific river salinity. It is expected that the training will aid in mainstreaming climate change in relevant policies, action plans and programs related to management of Sundarbans by Bangladesh and India, as well as for long-term development and poverty alleviation in adjacent areas. REG [120]: (112) Two basic trainings on river basin operation software for 62 participants and one advanced training for 26 participants who had set up Riverware software for water resources planning and management. Twenty- four water resources engineers were trained from Ganges and Brahmaputra riparian States on real time reservoir operation. The trainings were organized in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. All training material and presentations are available at www.indiaiwrm.org. The trainings have directly contributed to preparation of river basin planning systems for five sub-basins. The river model was introduced for the first time in India. This setup will inform the river basin framework for the NHP, and help in testing scenarios for a proposed World Bank-funded project in Damodar command area, which would contribute to optimization of reservoir operation to managing floods and maximize storage for irrigation. (8) A capacity strengthening program included three external training events: five officials (including the Director General (South Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh and Sub-Divisional Engineers, Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh) at the 2017 Water Diplomacy Workshop in Boston, USA; two officials (including the Member, Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh) at the 2016 Annual International Law and Transboundary Freshwater Training Workshop in Dundee, Scotland; and one participant at the 2016 Short Course on Watershed and River Basin Management, at UNESCO-IHE in Delft, the Netherlands. 49 SAWI Annual Report FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone 3. Capacity of water 3.2 Number of 49/50 * Met Expectations* resources organizations water management SAWI’s strategy is to target its capacity building toward strengthened in organizations with organizations and key professionals who are involved in water areas relevant to policy or technical management and cooperation, and to focus on technical areas transboundary capacity significantly where there is strong need, demand, and relevance to basin- cooperation strengthened by SAWI scale planning. By enabling stakeholders to participate in a activities in areas range of events, SAWI is helping to enhance understanding of relevant to basin-scale good practice from international experience, deepen knowledge planning or regional on specific issues, introduce new models and tools to improve cooperation efficiency, and help to stimulate new ways of beginning to address old, intractable problems. IRB [4]: (4) Government of Afghanistan capacity building program targeted an inter-ministerial working group on transboundary waters, comprising representatives from the Afghanistan MEW, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Environmental Protection Agency. GRB [24]: (11) Strategic Basin Planning State workshops on collaborative modeling. Between February 2017 and June 2017, trainings on model use were conducted in four States and in Delhi (seven workshops). Water resource organizations of all 11 States participated in these workshops. (1) Water Resources Department of Government of Bihar participated in a study tour to Tokyo, Japan in December 2016 to understand the institutional and technological perspectives of real-time flood forecasting and adopt the technology suitable for the State of Bihar. (12) WRD “departments” and organizations across Ganges and Brahmaputra States trained in river basin planning software. BRB [1]: (1) Government of Bhutan: technical capacity support has enabled the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology and BMD and BWDB in addressing technical issues as they arise in implementation of their investments. SUN [5]: (1) Inland Waterways Authority of India (on opportunities of women empowerment; critical risks in navigation in the Sundarbans). (1) West Bengal Department of Fisheries (on opportunities of women empowerment; climate vulnerabilities, climate induced changes, adaptation measures, climate and water resources modeling). (1) Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (on climate vulnerabilities, climate induced changes, adaptation measures, climate and salinity modeling). (1) Institute of Water Modeling, Bangladesh (on climate vulnerabilities, climate induced changes, adaptation measures, climate and salinity modeling). (1) Bangladesh Soil Research Development institute (on climate induced changes, adaptation measures, climate and salinity modeling). Annnexes 50 FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone REG [15]: (4) Training was provided under a two-year capacity strengthening program for officials of the Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Government of Afghanistan in transboundary waters governance. Capacity strengthening program organizations have received training in both basic and advanced water resources management (e.g. fundamentals of hydrology and IWRM, river basin modeling, flood risk management, hydropower management, groundwater management and conjunctive use) and topics related to transboundary water governance (e.g. international law and institutional frameworks, benefit sharing, and hydro-diplomacy). (1) Technical advice/training to the India Central Pollution Control to implement a network of real-time water quality monitoring sensors to increase the use of modern technologies. (10) Nine Neeranchal partner State governments and India Department of Land Resources visited sites in Karnataka (December 2016) to learn from the Sujala I Watershed Project, and meet the Karnataka Watershed Development Department to understand the Land Resources Inventory concept, approach, and expected benefits, etc. 4. Regional, basin 4.1 Number of regional, 23/8 * Exceeded Expectations* or sub-basin-level basin/landscape or sub- As part of its strategic outreach and dissemination activities, knowledge increased basin-level knowledge SAWI has not only generated innovative knowledge products and accessible to products and shared but has also ensured that these are disseminated appropriately. stakeholders, including with key stakeholders, Most of the products are developed in close partnership with decision makers including decision key stakeholders and thus embedded within existing systems to makers strengthen quality of planning and management and ensure their uptake. IRB [2]: (1) Managing Blue Gold in South & Central Asia: A Comparative Study of Islamic Law and International Water Law, to be published in an academic journal. (1) GIS data-mapping tool, which is publicly available on the Indus Basin Knowledge Platform portal, hosted by IWMI. GRB [2]: (1) Kali Gandaki Hydropower Plant Rehabilitation Project: Catchment Management for Sediment Retention technical report. (1) Securing Irrigation in Rainfed Areas: Strategies and Experiences of the West Bengal Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project. BRB [7]: (1) Detailed Analysis of Existing Hydro-met Monitoring Networks, Forecasting and Early Warning Systems. (1) Dialogue and Water Cooperation in the Brahmaputra River Basin (1) Knowledge Inventory Report (Brahmaputra River Basin Assessment) (1) Brahmaputra River Basin Issues, Models, Needs Assessment (1) Baseline of Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources for Development Planning within Key Economic Sectors (1) Stakeholder Consultation Report (1) Interactive Excel-Based File System (allowing users to explore the basin and extract relevant data) 51 SAWI Annual Report FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone SUN [3]: (1) The Impact of Aquatic Salinization on Fish Habitats and Poor Communities in a Changing Climate: Evidence from Southwest Coastal Bangladesh (1) The Impact of Climate Change and Aquatic Salinization on Mangrove Species in the Bangladesh Sundarbans (1) Nature’s Own People (documentary film). REG [9]: (1) Climate Risks and Solutions: Adaptation Frameworks for Water Resources Planning, Development and Management in South Asia. (1) Crowdsourcing Water Quality and Monitoring Data: A Conceptual Framework produced. (1) Analysis of Existing and Emerging Technologies for Continuous Water Quality Measurement. (1) Analysis of Water Quality Data from Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Stations on River Ganga. (1) Flood Risk Assessment and Forecasting for the Ganges- Brahmaputra- and Meghna River Basins (1) Economic Assessment of India’s National Groundwater Management Improvement Program (1) Technical Assessment of India’s National Groundwater Management Improvement Program (1) The Use of Remote Sensing in Monitoring Groundwater Use for Irrigation and Validating the Arrest of Groundwater Decline in India (1) Hydropower Sector Climate Resilience Guidelines Final Report 5. Regional, basin 5.1 Number of regional, 4/4 * Met Expectations* or sub-basin-level basin or sub-basin-level The basins and landscape have made good progress in responding interventions designed feasibility studies or to emerging opportunities. In some cases, SAWI has leveraged to improve livelihoods intervention designs funding or directly shaped larger policies and investments (e.g. and ecosystem informed by SAWI Ganges, Brahmaputra), while in other instances SAWI is informing sustainability activities the design and implementation of larger programs. The technical focus of these efforts is on improving climate responsive planning in water resource management, and integrating gender issues and sustainability into approaches. Regional level investments are yet to happen, but SAWI’s support to advancing the basin-level dialogues is a critical step toward that objective by continuing to build trust between various stakeholder groups across the riparian countries. SAWI also has traction with national and sub-national governments, particularly through the World Bank’s country investments. IRB [0]: (0) None targeted GRB [2]: (2) In partnership with ADB and ICE WaRM, supported the drafting of Nepal’s IWRM Policy and Act, both of which are undergoing consultation before being tabled to cabinet and parliament. SAWI provided technical consultants who provided critical implementation support to government in finalizing the ToRs and procurement package, and in assisting WECS to navigate government internal processes in order to obtain relevant approvals. Annnexes 52 FY17 Intermediate Results Result Indicators Progress Update Milestone BRB [2]: (1) Supported Government of Bangladesh in the preparation of the Investment Plan for Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100—a long- term holistic and integrated plan that will prioritize investments over the 15 years, supported by policy and regulatory reforms and institutional capacity building, and based on the principles of adaptive delta management. The activity builds on the State of the Basin Assessment to identify interventions or capacity building areas that assist in investment planning. (1) A summary analysis of hydro-met systems in Bangladesh informed the design of the Bangladesh Weather and Climate Services Regional Project, which is effective as of May 2017. SUN [0]: (0) None targeted. REG [0]: (0) None targeted. 53 SAWI Annual Report Annex II: Activity Summaries PROGRAM OVERVIEW Activities have been established to cover: (1) program management; (2) strategic communications; and (3) monitoring and evaluation. The program management activity is seven percent of all contributions and is the management “fee” referred to in the Administrative Agreements. This fee is taken from each contribution payment. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SAWI sits within the World Bank’s South Asia Region’s Regional Integration and Partnerships (SARRP), which has the ultimate responsibility for program delivery. The program is overseen by the Internal Review Committee, chaired by the Director, SAARP. The IRC meets once a year to approve the annual work plan, endorse all new activities over US$50,000, and conduct an annual review of program implementation. On a day-to-day basis, a small Secretariat team in the Water GP and SARRP manages the program. The program management activity supports strategic oversight and coordination of the program across all Focus Areas and activities, financial management, and annual progress reporting and donor liaison, including the annual donor meeting. Donor liaison includes the governance processes as laid out in the Administrative Agreements, interactions with the partner organizations funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under their South Asia Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP) and DFID’s South Asia Water Governance Program, in addition to participation in the annual reviews of those programs. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS This activity supports implementation of the program Communications and Engagement Strategy, with a long-term goal to create an enabling environment for cooperation at the basin level. This includes advocacy, awareness building, dissemination and engagement with key stakeholders (government officials, NGOs, academia, civil society groups and the media). The activity works upstream to strengthen positioning at dialogues, national and international workshops and conferences, and extends support to Focus Area activities toward the delivery of programmatic results. The activity also supports the maintenance of the program website, regular Program Updates, and the widely distributed weekly media roundup. ACHIEVING RESULTS (M&E) This activity supports M&E at the program level and at the Focus Area level. This includes tracking progress in achieving indicator targets at all links of the results chain—activities, outputs, intermediate results and ultimately outcomes. It includes regular reporting, including annual, “mid-term” and closing. M&E also includes qualitative narratives to report on and demonstrate impact in terms of tangible results aligned with the program objective. The activity supports communication with donor partners to ensure that information used in their M&E processes is accurate and up-to-date. INDUS BASIN FOCUS AREA Annnexes 54 OBJECTIVE To improve water resources management and coordination among the riparian countries, Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan, to enhance water and energy security. FOCUS AREA THEORY OF CHANGE Given complex water challenges, high glacier dependency and growing per capita water scarcity, the Indus is the most vulnerable river basin in Asia. The uneasy relationship between riparian countries, different levels of capacity and the presence of a fragile, post-conflict country in the basin pose additional challenges to regional cooperation on water resources management. Given the World Bank’s role in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and the importance of neutral engagement, maintaining transparency in World Bank engagement in the Indus Basin is critical. In response to communications from key riparian stakeholders, investment in this Focus Area is relatively low and focuses on issues not under the purview of the IWT. Activities focus on tractable efforts where client demand is clear, including: (1) identification of the need for and provision of technical assistance at the national level to enhance transboundary (including inter-provincial boundaries) water resources management capacity; and (2) continued support to the basin dialogue (commenced in 2013) focusing on development of joint research activities on climate change impact in the Indus Basin. Pillar 2 focuses primarily on Afghanistan, and also Pakistan, to mitigate for cross-basin differences in country capacity. Pillar 1 – Long-Term Basin Development and Investment Planning No active grants Pillar 2 – Investments and Capacity Building for Water and Energy Security KABUL/KUNAR BASIN DEVELOPMENT Scope: This activity aims to strengthen capacity within the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan for establishing institutional frameworks for transboundary waters and infrastructure, and to facilitate dialogue between the two countries to enhance coordination and reach cooperation on the development and management of the Kunar/Kabul River Basin. Based on government request, the activity is engaged in an extensive capacity building program with the Government of Afghanistan on transboundary water resources management. The training has covered a broad spectrum of issues related to dialogue and developing relations with co-riparians. This activity is closely linked to the World Bank’s Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Project (IRDP) Additional Financing ($70M); SAWI support aided in strengthening the focus on water sector issues more generally in the IRDP ($220M). Timeframe: June 2015 – October 2017. Geography: Indus Basin; Afghanistan, Pakistan. Budget Allocation: $0.60M FY17 Progress: An inter-ministerial working group on transboundary waters, comprising technical-level staff representatives from the MEW, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Environmental Protection Agency were trained. Forty- four participants received training across 18 seminars and 142 hours of in class time, with a core group of 15 attending 80 percent or more of the trainings. Ministerial advisors as well as heads of departments also participated in the training events. Seminars in FY17 included Negotiating: Finding Solutions, August 2016; Awareness Building, December 2016; Kunar Cascade Development, December 2016; US-Mexican Water Relations, December 2016; Central Asian Water Development, February 2017; Basin Modeling, February 2017; Climate Change and Transboundary Water, February 2017; Jordan River Case Study, April 2017; Evaluating Equitable and Reasonable, May 2017; and Nile Basin Case Study, June 2017). The working group also participated in a workshop with counterparts from the Ministry of Water Resources from Ethiopia on organizing nationally for transboundary water management. While causality is not always attributable, the capacity building package has informed (1) the institutional structure of the Afghanistan inter-ministerial cooperation on transboundary waters, including the High Commission on Transboundary Waters headed by the President and an inter-ministerial working group on transboundary waters; (2) the structure of the transboundary water department within the MEW; and (3) the drafting of the Afghanistan transboundary water policy (approved in principle by the President). The resulting increased confidence and capacity led to increased engagement in riparian dialogue with neighboring countries. To ensure that the wealth of material developed during this training can be built upon, both by the participants and the World Bank, all non-sensitive materials have been made available to participants in a digital format. The material is being formatted and collated into a training manual. Discussions were initiated to have some of the materials developed into curricula for Afghan institutions. The activity also provided technical advice to MEW in the run up of the Afghanistan National Water Conference with respect to communication and discussion of transboundary water issues during this conference with national stakeholders. FY18 Plan: Twelve additional hours of classroom time in Kabul were scheduled for June 2017, but were postponed to FY18 for security reasons. Training workshops are planned on organization and function of RBOs and transboundary groundwater. A study tour/exposure visit to the Nile Basin is planned in October 2017, at the end of the activity. Pillar 3 – Basin-Level Dialogue INDUS BASIN DIALOGUE Scope: Since 2013 the World Bank has supported a dialogue for Indus Basin countries—the IF—to build confidence and trust in order to establish an enabling environment for basin-wide cooperation. This activity aims to support dialogue in the Indus Basin, including the IF, and it focuses on technical collaboration on issues previously identified by the IF. The activity finances meetings and exposure visits of participants of the IF. It also aims to facilitate a national dialogue process with key stakeholders in Pakistan to implement the recommendations from the 2013 Pakistan Water Summit and to identify specific opportunities for water reform and investment. The IF- WG has been developing a proposal for a joint research program on climate change impacts in the Indus Basin. The proposed research aims at addressing the scientific gaps in knowledge, regarding the impacts of climate change on the Indus Basin and would guide the policymakers of the basin for adaptation strategies. 55 SAWI Annual Report Timeframe: November 2014 – June 2018. Geography: Indus Basin; all riparians. Budget Allocation: $0.70M FY17 Progress: In October 2016, SAWI led a study tour on glacier monitoring in the Swiss Alps, bringing together participants from the four Indus Basin countries and international experts on climate change, glaciology and hydrology, to understand and learn about research approaches to glacier monitoring in the Swiss Alps and to discuss and finalize the IF-WG joint research proposal and lay down next steps for its coordination and research mobilization. The proposal for a joint research program was developed as four working packages: on (1) baseline observations; (2) climate change scenarios; (3) climate change adaptation; and (4) capacity building and knowledge exchange. An IF joint meeting with the ICIMOD Upper Indus Basin (UIB) Network, and with IWMI, was held in Kathmandu in May 2017 to present the joint research proposal (and discuss resource mobilization opportunities to fund the study), continue discussions on how to strengthen collaboration between the IF and the UIB, and prepare for the Indus Knowledge Forum (July 2017). The activity facilitated the finalization of the IF-WG baseline assessments on available knowledge on glaciers and climate change in the Indus Basin as well as a glacier knowledge mapping tool (fall 2016). Young researchers from the region were engaged as consultants to carry out the baseline assessment and develop the knowledge mapping tool under guidance of the IF-WG members. The baseline assessment on available glacier data was made publicly available on the Indus Basin Knowledge Platform (hosted by IWMI; www.indusbasin.org). An outcome of the IF process is that Pakistan has invited Afghan participants to capacity building trainings on glacier monitoring. The Deputy Minister of Water of Afghanistan has nominated participants to go to the Pakistan training. As part of the national dialogue supported through this activity, a conference on Water and Environment: Sustainable Development in a Changing Climate, held in Islamabad in October 2016, was supported in partnership with ICIMOD, the Pakistan Ministry of Climate Change, and the Water Environment Forum (a national dialogue forum that was established as an outcome of the overall Indus Basin Dialogue process). The conference aimed at sharing best practices to provide awareness and facilitate dialogue toward formulating an action plan to address climate change impacts in the Indus Basin. The event drew high-level government participation, including the Ministers of Climate Change and National Food Security & Information, and the respective secretaries from the ministries, and the General Director of the Pakistan Meteorological Service. FY18 Plan: The Indus Knowledge Forum, hosted by IWMI and supported through this activity, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in July 2017, will aim to provide a platform for exchange of the latest research on the Indus Basin between participants from the basin and from third countries. It will bring together more than 100 key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia and the private sector, including IF members from the four basin countries. The research proposal will undergo a final review among the IF-WG members and an internal peer review. GANGES BASIN FOCUS AREA OBJECTIVE To improve management and development of water resources in the Ganges Basin to support economic growth and improve resilience to climate variability and change. Annnexes 56 FOCUS AREA THEORY OF CHANGE Countries in South Asia are unlikely to cooperate for effective basin management if water resources are not well managed nationally. Therefore, the strategy for the Ganges Basin Focus Area is to support improved water resources management nationally and facilitate connections between countries through technical dialogue and capacity building. In addition to improving water management nationally for economic stimulation and poverty reduction, these connected efforts build confidence in transboundary engagement and increase trust around knowledge and information exchange. In India, working to improve data sharing between the center and the states is a necessary precursor to broader public and international transparency. In India and Nepal, support is being provided to river basin planning. In Nepal this is via the accelerating development of hydropower (with associated work on watershed management for sediment control), and in India this is via the drive for river cleanup as well environmental flows for healthy rivers, cross-sectoral water allocation and inland navigation. Work under the Focus Area supports the design and implementation of the World Bank-financed NHP in India that includes river basin planning on a platform of more open data access and sharing, in addition to informing other lending operations. Operationalizing flood forecasting in the Ganges Basin at the sub-basin-level focuses on activities in the Baghmati sub-basin to build technical competence and improve forecasting skill, as well as to strengthen cross-border cooperation in flood management between Bihar and Nepal. Again this work will guide larger-scale and longer-term efforts in flood forecasting planned under the NHP. Pillar 1 – Valuing the Environment and Ecosystem Services STRATEGIC BASIN PLANNING FOR THE GANGES IN INDIA Scope: This activity is providing technical assistance to the Government of India and basin State governments in scenario-based river basin modeling and participatory river basin planning for the Ganges Basin in India. The activity aims to develop a comprehensive basin model for the Ganges in India that enables objective assessment of the likely effectiveness of different options for improving river health and the impacts these options have on the ability to meet consumptive water demands and support inland waterway navigation. The activity is being implemented via a major contract with Deltares for work on basin-scale modeling, surface water-groundwater interactions, environmental flows, stakeholder consultation and basin information systems. The work is proceeding in close cooperation with the Indian Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and relevant state government agencies. The activity is highly relevant to the NHP and is seen by the Government of India as a pilot for the multiple river basin modeling and planning activities to be progressed under this project. The activity is also relevant to the NGRBP and the UPWSRP. Timeframe: December 2014 – June 2018. Geography: Ganges Basin; India. Budget Allocation: $4.00M FY17 Progress: The activity undertook technical work on an integrated modeling suite for the Ganges Basin in India (documented an open-access model of the basin in India calibrated to existing data for the baseline situation); designed an Information Dashboard to display/interrogate modeling data; documented methods for environmental flows assessments (report prepared) and surface water- groundwater interaction analyses (report prepared); and carried out comprehensive programs of stakeholder consultation and technical training across 11 basin States. Between July 2016 and December 2016, the Deltares-led team conducted 11 State workshops on collaborative modeling for 284 participants and 105 departments and organizations. The third basin-wide workshop was held in Kolkata in March 2017 with the aim to discuss the outcomes of the Collaborative Modeling Phase and present the model developed to further initiate the Scenario Development Phase. Key participants included officials from Central Ministries/Departments, riparian State governments, academic institutions and NGOs. First versions of the rainfall-runoff models, groundwater model and water distribution model were developed and discussed with stakeholders. Between February 2017 and June 2017, trainings on model use were conducted in four States for 40 participants and in Delhi (seven workshops) for 170 participants. The development of the water quality and ecology modules was completed. The complete modeling system was ready for first calibration at the end of the FY. The activity was an active contributor to the 2016 International RiverSymposium in New Delhi (September 2016), sponsored by SAWI, with the project leader presenting on implementation progress in a SAWI convened session showcasing capacity building, analytical and dialogue work across the major transboundary basins of South Asia. FY18 Plan: The activity will be completed in FY18. A final dissemination workshop is planned. SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FOR HEP IN NEPAL (RE) Scope: This RE activity aims to strengthen the capacity of the Nepalese power sector to plan and prepare hydropower and transmission line projects according to international standards and best practices that take account of basin-wide water resource management issues, and to improve the readiness of the power and water sector for regulatory and institutional reforms. This activity is linked to the Power Sector Reform and Sustainable Hydropower Development Project. Executing Agency: Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) in the Ministry of Irrigation, Nepal Timeframe: June 2016 – June 2018. Geography: Ganges Basin; Nepal. Budget Allocation: $2.50M (reduced to $0.5M in FY18) FY17 Progress: The WECS’ implementation of integrated water resource planning and management to guide sustainable hydropower development using a basin-wide approach continued, albeit at a pace that was significantly slower than planned. At the end of FY17 WECS was evaluating proposals of the firms shortlisted to carry out a strategic environmental and social assessment to support a basin-wide approach for hydropower development planning. FY18 Plan: The selected firm will carry out the assessment. An introductory workshop on SESA will be conducted. 57 SAWI Annual Report SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FOR HEP IN NEPAL (BE) Scope: This activity will enable the World Bank to provide implementation support to the above RE activity. This activity aims to enhance the Government of Nepal’s GoN water resources management and development capacity by: (1) increasing awareness of river basin planning as a mechanism to guide environmentally sustainable development hydropower balanced with water resource uses; (2) facilitating institutional and regulatory reform in the water resources sector; and (3) building capacity in environmental and social safeguards. By strengthening capacity in the GoN and supporting river basin planning and improved water management the activity will enable the GoN to engage in a more informed and more confident way with downstream riparian countries in future transboundary discussions and negotiations. Timeframe: September 2014 – August 2018. Geography: Ganges Basin; Nepal. Budget Allocation: $1.70M FY17 Progress: SAWI, in partnership with ICE WaRM and ADB, supported the drafting of Nepal’s IWRM Policy and Water Resource Act. A local firm was hired to support WECS in preparing the draft Policy and Act. Three consultants (two local and one international) were hired to provide critical implementation support to WECS in finalizing the corresponding ToR and procurement package. At the end of FY17 the firm was consulting stakeholders to finalize the drafts, which would then be tabled to cabinet and parliament. The activity supported five GoN officials to attend the International Hydropower Congress in Ethiopia in May 2017 to enhance their knowledge of and share experiences in hydropower development, and to help chart the course for hydropower development and operations over the coming decade in Nepal. The activity also supported implementation of the Nepal Power Summit 2016 (December 2016), organized by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal. The Summit aimed to attract investors, developers, policymakers and civil society to realize the 10,000 MW installed in 10 years target set by government. The activity also supported the NEA staff to attend the Process of Social Impact Assessment Course in April 2017. This course aimed to help strengthen the capacity for NEA in social impact assessment processes. FY18 Plan: A workshop on IWRM is planned for September 2017. A high-level government delegation will visit Three Gorges Dam in China in August 2017 and Itaipu Dam in Brazil in November 2017. Pillar 2 – Moving from Data to Information Services WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN TRANSBOUNDARY BASINS Scope: This activity provides support to the preparation and implementation of the NHP by facilitating access to international best practice to inform project design—especially relating to river basin planning and management in transboundary basins. NHP focuses on the use of water data in planning and management, including via modeling in support of basin planning and basin water resources assessments, flood management and reservoir operations. Timeframe: November 2014 – June 2018. Geography: Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins; all riparians. Budget Allocation: $0.50M FY17 Progress: The activity facilitated strengthened dissemination of various products developed in FY16 and introduced an online river basin planning and management tool that can be used for reservoir operation and optimizing irrigation and hydropower (“WaterWare”; December 2016). In its current form, the WaterWare application, developed by the Environmental Software and Services GmbH (Austria), includes modules on rainfall-runoff, optimization, expert system, groundwater, land use change, irrigation and crop production, GIS objects, monitoring and data management and expert system. SAWI worked to make it more comprehensive, incorporating more data on rainfall and discharge, scenarios for dry, normal and wet years, refine model calibration, incorporate reservoir operation rules, design scenarios for evaluating impact of climate change, scenarios on changing domestic and industrial demands. The WaterWare software is being applied to the Damodar River Basin. Damodar is a transboundary river within India that flows across the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand, joining Hooghly and ultimately draining into Bay of Bengal. If the application is successful, similar models can be replicated for other river basins to make management more effective. Two reports were produced on real-time hydrological information systems and on IWRM river basin modeling systems for Damodar Basin. Training on river basin planning and management software was conducted for 27 participants (Central and State water resource engineers), including from WRD departments of Ganges and Brahmaputra States (January 2017). All training material is available at www.indiawrm.org. FY18 Plan: Training on river modeling software for stakeholders of Damodar Basin and the NHP team in Kolkata is planned. STRENGTHENING FMIS CAPACITY IN BIHAR (RE) Scope: This RE technical activity builds on the outcomes of the regional scoping study on flood forecasting to strengthen institutional capacity in the Government of Bihar, India, and to improve community outreach for flood management in the Baghmati-Adhwara (B-A) Basin (a transboundary sub-basin of the Ganges Basin spanning Nepal and India). The activity is linked to the ongoing BKDP. Executing Agency: Government of Bihar, India Timeframe: February 2016 – June 2018. Geography: Ganges Basin; India. Budget Allocation: $0.475M FY17 Progress: The work to improve flood modeling capacity of the WRD of the Government of Bihar was in process; setting up the flood model delayed progress. Model calibration was in process and is expected to be ready by the end of 2017. A high-level delegation (four participants, including the Minister and Principal Secretary of the WRD of Government of Bihar) participated in a study tour to Tokyo, Japan in December 2016 to understand the institutional and technological perspectives of real-time flood forecasting and adopt the technology suitable for the State of Bihar. Annnexes 58 FY18 Plan: The flood inundation model, under development at the time of reporting, will undergo calibration for operational rollout before the 2018 monsoon season. BIHAR FMIS FLOOD FORECASTING (BE) Scope: This activity enables the World Bank to provide focused support to the Government of Bihar in their implementation of the RE activity above. The activity aims to improve flood forecasting capability of the Government of Bihar by supporting travel of government officials to flood modeling centers of excellence, and supporting visits to Bihar by experts and consultants to improve the existing flood risk model. Timeframe: November 2015 – September 2017. Geography: Ganges Basin; India. Budget Allocation: $0.50M FY17 Progress: The activity developed the concept and itinerary and logistical arrangements for the study tour to Japan in December 2016. It supported two officials from WRD Government of Bihar to attend a weeklong operational workshop on transboundary flood forecasting, organized by RIMES and UNESCAP, at AIT, Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2016. A local flood expert was hired to de-bug the B-A Basin model to improve its geometry and reconfigure the model before the 2017 monsoon floods. NCAR was brought on to develop and operationalize lead ensemble rainfall forecast for the B-A and Kosi Basins. FY18 Plan: Lead rainfall and flood stage (water height at gauge stations) forecasts, under development at the time of reporting, will undergo calibration for operational rollout before the 2018 monsoon season. An IT-based system will be set up to provide support for the completed lead rainfall and flood forecasting model. Pillar 3 – Basin-Level Dialogue GANGES BASIN DIALOGUE Scope: Building on the national level technical assistance in river basin modeling and planning in both India and Nepal, this activity supports basin-wide dialogue on hydrologic and water resources modeling. The activity aims to connect technical institutions in the region with scientists and academics around the world that are actively engaged in modeling the Ganges Basin. A key element of the original design of this activity was to bridge river basin modeling work supported under SAWI in India and Nepal. The activity was effectively placed on hold for FY17 pending outcomes of an internal review of the SAWI program and an assessment of the progress of river basin modeling work in support of hydropower development in Nepal, which has not proceeded as planned (as mentioned above). Timeframe: November 2014 – September 2018. Geography: Ganges Basin; all riparians. Budget Allocation: $0.40M FY17 Progress: No outcomes achieved as activity was placed on hold for FY17. FY18 Plan: Scoping of opportunities for advancing dialogue. BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN FOCUS AREA OBJECTIVE To improve the shared understanding and management of the Brahmaputra Basin as a means to strengthen resilience and economic growth for the riparian countries. 59 SAWI Annual Report FOCUS AREA THEORY OF CHANGE Activities under the Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area focus on addressing water-related challenges (flooding and riverbank erosion) and assessing economic opportunities, including from hydropower and inland navigation. Knowledge exchange activities, study tours and workshops and assessments conducted to support these issues will not only demonstrate economic benefits from cooperative management but will provide a platform for riparian countries to come together and build the case for regional cooperation. Pillar 1 activities will develop a shared knowledge base for the entire Brahmaputra Basin to support investment planning and decision- making. This will include relevant assessments and modeling, decision support tools to assist policymakers in making informed, analysis-driven decisions, and capacity building activities within relevant agencies to operationalize these tools and make strategic, informed decisions. The knowledge base will fill critical knowledge gaps and support basin-wide river management, investment planning at a national and/or basin level, adaptive management in deltaic regions, flood and sediment management and exploring cross-sector opportunities such as hydropower and navigation. Pillar 2 activities focus on reducing community vulnerability to water and climate-related risks and building community resilience. An adaptive management framework is used to strengthen riparian countries’ capacity to respond and adapt to changes in the basin. Activities include (1) improvements in investments and instruments, including early warning systems and flood mitigation measures; (2) improving the understanding of river morphology and sedimentation and erosion trends; and (3) capacity building, training and knowledge exchange activities, particularly focused on flood and erosion management. Pillar 3 provides a platform for riparian countries to discuss challenges and identify opportunities for collaboration through study tours, workshops and conferences. The overarching aim is to improve cooperation through increasing opportunities to engage and discuss common challenges. Pillar 1 – Knowledge and Capacity Building for Basin Management and Investment Planning BASIN MODELING AND ANALYSIS Scope: This activity aims to fill critical knowledge gaps in the Brahmaputra Basin and serve as a launching pad for integrated basin planning. It will undertake a strategic basin assessment (in India) as a basis for basin planning, conduct detailed investment planning in selected sub-basins as pilots for scale-up in the future, and develop a comprehensive basin-wide knowledge base. The activity will include multi-stakeholder consultations and capacity building for State agencies. The activity links closely with the Assam Flood, Erosion and River Management Modernization Project that is under preparation. It is also aligned with the ‘sister’ activity in Bangladesh (refer below). Timeframe: March 2016 – August 2018. Geography: Brahmaputra Basin; India. Budget Allocation: $1.20M FY17 Progress: The contract with the firm to carry out the strategic assessment in India was signed in August 2016. Some adjustments were made to the activity tasks in order to address challenges associated with implementing the original TOR, and to better align with the Assam Flood, Erosion and River Management Modernization Project. An inception report was prepared (May 2017) and various consultations were held with key stakeholders. The activity experienced considerable delays due to unforeseen circumstances. FY18 Plan: The original contract was cancelled in early FY18 and the team is in the process of re-procuring services and working to fast-track delivery. Planned completion milestones for FY18 include: strategic basin assessment; investment plan for one sub-basin and assessment and roadmap for a second sub-basin; assessment and roadmap of two to three other sub-basins; functional basin-wide knowledge base system with user manual; and training material and capacity building plan. Several consultation workshops are also planned, in addition to capacity building working closely with water resources departments, disaster risk management agencies, and other related agencies. DELTA MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT PLANNING AND BASIN ANALYSIS Scope: This activity is supporting the Government of Bangladesh in the preparation of the Investment Plan for BDP 2100— a long- term holistic and integrated plan for the Bangladesh Delta. The activity will build on the State of the Basin Assessment to identify interventions or capacity building areas that assist in investment planning. The work will explore a range of issues, including the climate change impacts; options analysis for investment planning; impacts from development scenarios including HEP development and interventions to improve irrigation productivity; and recommendations for improving basin-wide water management. The activity is a key part of a larger analytical study that will provide multi-sectoral solutions to delta management in Bangladesh. It helps give effect to the MoU signed by the governments of Bangladesh and the Netherlands, together with the World Bank, to advance Adaptive Delta Management in Bangladesh in the context of basin-wide planning and management, and is co-financed by an activity under the Sundarbans Focus Area. The activity is also carrying out a basin analysis to develop a better understanding of the dynamics of the Brahmaputra Basin in Bangladesh, through inventory and assessment of available data and knowledge and prioritizing development issues through a stakeholder consultation process. The existing knowledge base will be used to examine the potential development in the basin and attendant impacts of development. An information-based dialogue within and between riparian basin entities will be encouraged and supported. Timeframe: September 2015 – September 2017. Geography: Brahmaputra Basin; Bangladesh. Budget Allocation: $0.80M Annnexes 60 FY17 Progress: SAWI worked closely with the General Economic Division (GED) in the preparation of the Investment Plan to support the implementation of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. An Assessment of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 projects and a cost and benefit report were prepared (fall 2016). These papers have been integrated into the draft Investment Plan. A consultation workshop with stakeholders, including the different ministries/divisions/agencies, NGOs, academic and research organizations, the private sector and development partners was conducted in April 2017 (chaired by GED). Participants responded to a multi-criteria analysis questionnaire to provide input for the selection and ranking of projects. The draft Investment Plan was being finalized at the end of the FY reflecting the consultation workshop responses and the outcomes of a QER in May 2017, where constructive discussion was conducted to strengthen the quality of the document. For the basin analysis, a consultation workshop was held in Dhaka in January 2017 to solicit feedback from experts and stakeholders on an analytical framework for basin planning. The workshop identified and prioritized issues and indicators in development planning in the basin, and obtained feedback from the 30 stakeholders in attendance on a shortlist of basin models and tools to address future basin development and impact scenarios. Training on water resources modeling tools was conducted at this workshop for government officials and individuals from technical support organizations, academia and NGOs. A March 2017 consultation workshop in Dhaka was organized to obtain feedback from experts and stakeholders on the framework design of a specific Brahmaputra Basin model, and to explore model requirements, data needs, computational approaches and expected modeling outputs. Further technical training on modeling tools was provided to workshop participants. Five other reports were prepared in FY17. A Knowledge Inventory Report (October 2016) organizes and assesses readily available public data and dispersed databases in the Brahmaputra Basin. A Baseline of Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources for Development Planning within Key Economic Sectors (March 2017) reviews and inventories Brahmaputra Basin characteristics. It was also prepared as an interactive Excel-based framework, which allows users to click and select nodes along the basin network and identify unique data. A Brahmaputra River Basin Issues, Models and Needs Assessment (April 2017) supports the basin analysis process by identifying potential analytical approaches, shortlisting appropriate models, and identifying data needs and availability. A Stakeholder Consultation Report (April 2017) documents one-on-one consultations held with a wide range of agencies and other groups to identify and document key development issues. FY18 Plan: The Investment Plan was being finalized at the end of FY17. A final report on the Investment Plan will be completed and disseminated at a workshop toward the end of 2017. For the basin analysis, the final report is being finalized, and a follow-up activity is being considered to respond to high demand from the government for further developing national planning capacity. Pillar 2 – Reducing Vulnerability to Floods and Erosion HYDRO-MET MODERNIZATION IN THE BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN Scope: This activity aims to undertake technical analysis and provide recommendations for modernization of hydro-met systems in Brahmaputra Basin countries. This will be done through an assessment of hydro-met-related needs and priorities, assessment of their existing meteorological and hydrological observation networks and forecasting systems, and flood/disaster related early warning systems. The overall aim of the task is to strengthen national capacity for monitoring and forecasting that can lay the groundwork for long term regional cooperation on water and climate. Timeframe: December 2014 – September 2017. Geography: Brahmaputra Basin: Bhutan and Bangladesh. Budget Allocation: $0.25M FY17 Progress: A detailed analysis of existing hydro-met monitoring networks, forecasting and early warning systems for Bhutan was completed (May 2017). A report summarizing the findings of Modernizing Weather, Water and Climate Services: A Road Map for Bhutan, largely prepared in FY16, was published and disseminated (July 2016). The report was prepared through extensive consultations with the Royal Government of Bhutan. An assessment of capacity needs for agro-met services delivery in Bhutan in FY17 contributed to the preparation of the Hydro-met Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project in Bhutan, which was approved in September 2016. The activity also provided technical inputs that informed the design of the Bangladesh Weather and Climate Services Regional Project, which is effective as of May 2017. This includes a detailed economic analysis to provide a more accurate economic assessment of the costs and benefits of investments in Bangladesh, which is near completion. Technical capacity support has enabled the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology and BMD and BWDB to be better equipped to address technical issues as they arise during implementation. FY18 Plan: An assessment of areas for regional collaboration on capacity enhancement on meteorological forecasting and services delivery will be conducted. Draft reports on agro-met services in Bhutan and economic analysis in Bangladesh will be published and disseminated. A conference on strengthening regional cooperation with respect to hydro-met and climate services is planned for FY18. BHUTAN HYDRO-MET SERVICES AND DISASTER IMPROVEMENT (RE) Scope: This RE activity builds on the Hydro-met Modernization in the Brahmaputra Basin activity to strengthen Bhutan’s capacity for hydro-met services and disaster preparedness through (1) strengthening the capacity of Bhutan’s Department of Hydro-met Services to improve hydro-met monitoring, forecasting and service delivery to priority sectors; (2) strengthening capacity for disaster preparedness and response (working through the Department of Disaster Management); and (3) funding the design of an agro-met decision support system, development and delivery of agro-met information products in two administrative and judicial districts, training and capacity building (working through the Department of Agriculture). This is a $3.3M activity co-financed by the Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery. Executing Agency: Royal Government of Bhutan Timeframe: October 2016 – June 2018. Geography: Brahmaputra Basin: Bhutan. Budget Allocation: $0.50M 61 SAWI Annual Report FY17 Progress: At the close of FY17 the bids for the main package under the enhancement of aviation meteorology component were under evaluation, and the awarding of the contract is scheduled for the end of July 2017. The activity supported the financing of the Bhutan Hydro- met Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project, which was signed in September 2016. The project is expected to strengthen the capacity for flood forecasting and hydro-met services delivery to aviation, disaster risk management and agriculture sectors. FY18 Plan: Installation of aviation-met equipment will be procured under the project. The activities to set up the common operating platform and carry out flood forecasting in selected basins will commence in FY18. Pillar 3 – Basin-Level Dialogue BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN DIALOGUE Scope: This activity is increasing regional cooperation by providing a platform to discuss shared water challenges and opportunities. It is enhancing trust and working relationships between basin riparian countries to progress consideration of river basin management of the Brahmaputra Basin, considering country-specific needs and priorities. The activity is supporting national and basin-level meetings as well as capacity building events, dialogue events, workshops, roundtables, and study tours to facilitate the exchange amongst stakeholders of ideas, viewpoints, knowledge and development plans for the Brahmaputra Basin. It is also serving as a platform for engaging stakeholders in the development of knowledge products developed under the Focus Area and for dissemination. Timeframe: January 2015 – September 2018. Geography: Brahmaputra Basin: all riparians. Budget Allocation: $0.70M FY17 Progress: The SaciWATERs-led dialogue process, supported by SAWI since February 2016, held a series of national-level workshops (Bangladesh in June 2016, China in July 2016, India in August 2016, and Bhutan in September 2016) and one regional workshop—the first regional dialogue event—in Singapore in October 2016. These workshops have provided a neutral platform for various stakeholders (government officials, academia, think tanks and civil society) from all four riparian countries to engage, build a common understanding of the issues and challenges, and begin to identify potential opportunities for basin-wide collaboration. The regional event drew senior government participation from Bangladesh, including the Senior Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, as well as delegates from Bhutan, China and India, signifying a commitment to continue the transboundary dialogue toward improved transboundary cooperation. This process has been supported by a review of existing transboundary protocols and accords and an exercise on institutional mapping. A second round of national-level workshops were held in Bhutan in March 2017 (40 participants) and Bangladesh in April 2017 (SAWI provided technical inputs). Eight informal one-on-one meetings, facilitated through SAWI financial support, were held in China in May 2017, which enhanced the partnership between SaciWATERs and Chinese academic institutions/ think tanks. The meetings helped SaciWATERs expand its network beyond Yunnan University, and the dialogue now has on-board reputed government institutes such as the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, Beijing Institute of Contemporary International Relations and China Reform Forum. FY18 Plan: A follow-up workshop in China is planned for August 2017, which will bring together Indian, Chinese and Bangladeshi academicians and will focus on identifying opportunities for cooperation on food, energy and water security. A Brahmaputra media dialogue, in collaboration with The Third Pole, in Bangkok in August 2017, will target local journalists from all four Brahmaputra riparian countries and aim to inform the public narrative around the river and reinforce the need for sustainable water resources management in the basin. This media dialogue is expected to inform the media engagement strategy going forward. A high-level regional symposium on the Brahmaputra, to be organized in partnership with SaciWATERs, IIT-Guwahati and TERI University, is scheduled for September 2017 in New Delhi. It aims to bring together policymakers, academicians, NGOs and other stakeholders involved in the basin to share experience and knowledge of the system with an eye toward strengthening the shared understanding of opportunities and risks and the potential for future cooperation. Recommendations from the symposium will inform the design of the next phase of dialogue activities. SUNDARBANS LANDSCAPE FOCUS AREA Annnexes 62 OBJECTIVE To operationalize joint management of the Sundarbans for sustainable development that delivers mutual benefits for the two countries. FOCUS AREA THEORY OF CHANGE The challenges of the Sundarbans (extreme poverty, frequent natural disasters and erosion of ecosystem services) would be better managed if Bangladesh and India developed and implemented a joint conservation and development policy, and increased collaboration on plans and programs. To date the formal dialogue and collaboration between the two countries has been inadequate. While non-binding bilateral agreements were signed in late 2011 outlining a framework for collaboration on international waters, information sharing, disaster management and climate change, these are yet to be implemented. The Sundarbans Focus Area directly supports implementation of these agreements and country actions based on a landscape perspective. Focus Area support includes developing a stronger analytical basis to help governments move toward integrated planning and management. Bilateral dialogue, research and information exchange will support the analytical work and will build technical capacity, thus enhancing cooperation. A landscape-level planning and management framework and supporting institutions are required for collaborative management. Technical analyses will be complemented by (1) advocacy work to generate public support for cooperation; (2) establishment of governance arrangements for joint planning; and (3) substantive joint actions (e.g. shared plans and policies) for conservation and sustainable development. Given broad agreement for collaboration exists, activities under the Focus Area are demand-driven. Initial activities were informed by stakeholder consultation. Establishing a more formal mechanism for collaboration will guide future activity choices, and multi- stakeholder dialogue will guide all joint studies and joint planning work. Pillar 1 – Enhancing Bilateral Cooperation LANDSCAPE-SCALE JOINT ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN Scope: This activity aims to help Bangladesh and India establish appropriate information (collection, collation and dissemination) systems to support preparation and implementation of plans for the development and conservation of the Sundarbans. Timeframe: April 2016 – June 2018. Geography: Sundarbans; Bangladesh, India. Budget Allocation: $0.30M FY17 Progress: Stakeholder guidance was sought on the list of studies to be conducted under the activity. Based on feedback, especially from the BISRCI, it was decided that rather than the studies originally intended, greater purpose would be served if the list is modified to focus on large landscape-level joint initiatives: (1) an assessment of the state of nutrition of mothers and children and stunting in children and the causal linkage to diet of expectant mothers to be able to propose a program for improving the nutrition among women and children in the Sundarbans Landscape; (2) background studies and stakeholder consultation to propose a joint Bangladesh-India initiative for Development of Sustainable Tourism with Reflection of Conserving Nature for the Sundarbans Landscape; (3) background studies and stakeholder consultation to propose a joint Bangladesh-India initiative for promoting sustainable transboundary inland navigation in the Sundarbans Landscape; and (4) background studies and stakeholder consultation to propose a joint Bangladesh-India initiative for preparing an inventory of flora and fauna and comprehensive biodiversity mapping and evaluation study for the Sundarbans Landscape. These studies investigate the possibilities of sustainable economic growth through major joint Bangladesh-India cooperation. All four studies have advanced and draft reports were under review at the end of the FY. A joint landscape narrative describing the defining characteristics of the Sundarbans Landscape across the national boundary is also advancing well. It has informed the four draft studies. Several small technical meetings and roundtables among stakeholders, academics and experts were organized to prepare these draft outputs. A study is being conducted to support the preparation of a plan to nurture and enhance the fisheries and aquaculture resources to the benefit of poor communities living in the Sundarbans. FY18 Plan: The final dissemination workshop for the report on status and health of fisheries resources in the Sundarbans, including the near-shore fisheries as well as the estuarine aquaculture is (tentatively) planned for March 2018. The four studies will be disseminated, including the joint landscape narrative, at the various events organized under the SAWI Sundarbans Dialogue activity. SUNDARBANS DIALOGUE Scope: This activity aims to build trust and working relationships between India and Bangladesh to further sustainable management of the Sundarbans based on country-specific needs and landscape-level priorities. The dialogue process (through identification and implementation of specific cooperative activities) aims to create Sundarbans management ownership among government and non- government agencies and to facilitate the operationalization of the MoU on Sundarbans Cooperation signed between the two countries in 2011. WWF, IWA and the Observer Research Foundation are key partners in delivering this activity. Timeframe: April 2015 – September 2018. Geography: Sundarbans; Bangladesh, India. Budget Allocation: $1.00M FY17 Progress: BISRCI (which follows the IUCN Ecosystems for Life project) found significant traction at the highest policymaking levels in both Bangladesh and India. This is evidenced by support from BISRCI to both the Bangladesh and Indian delegations during the Bangladesh-India Joint Working Group on Conservation of the Sundarbans meeting in July 2016 to design and plan joint and cooperative activities on Sundarbans as envisaged under the 2011 MoU, as well as the SAWI-supported joint Government of India- Government of West Bengal meeting on cooperation on Sundarbans in January 2017. BISRCI provided inputs to the agenda for discussion on the Sundarbans between the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and India, which took place in April 2017. The activity established and sustained local dialogues (between the community/local government and the state/federal levels of government), as this was seen to be critical to strengthening the final Bangladesh-India dialogue and collaboration. A documentary film, Nature’s Own People, was developed by the BISRCI (finalized June 2017). 63 SAWI Annual Report FY18 Plan: Several meetings are proposed, including preparatory meetings in July and August 2017 in support of the BISRCI. The BISRCI film on the Sundarbans will be launched in fall 2017 in Delhi, Kolkata and Dhaka. A workshop to discuss BISRCI recommendations for augmented inland waterway transport will also be held in fall 2017. A media workshop will be conducted in December 2017. Several small roundtables and one-on-one meetings to build support for the final organizational design of the Joint Platform will be held between July 2017 and January 2018. Pillar 2 – Technical Cooperation to Support Joint Management LANDSCAPE HYDRO-MET DESIGN Scope: This activity supports the design of a hydro-met system for the Sundarbans that would include climate stations, tide gauges, wave rider buoys and water quality monitoring. It will develop a strategy for establishing and operating hydro-met and local weather forecasting systems, and analyze bathymetry, salinity intrusion and conservation needs of the freshwater resources. Timeframe: July 2015 – August 2018. Geography: Sundarbans; Bangladesh, India. Budget Allocation: $0.40M FY17 Progress: Substantial effort was spent on reviewing the quality of data available from the Indian part of the Sundarbans and comparing the data with the quality and extent of data from the Bangladesh side. A notable achievement was tracing back the Dampier-Hodges Survey (conducted around 1876), which required sifting through archives. This will help delineate the natural boundary of the landscape and correct several ‘myths’. It was presented to technical experts in both countries. Draft reports on geomorphological setting and hydro-met setting and a background report and proposal for joint hydro-met services for the entire landscape were prepared (May 2017). A water quality analysis and salinity intrusion analysis were prepared to support the technical papers prepared under the Targeted Environmental Studies activity (below). Small technical meetings and roundtables were organized to prepare these outputs. FY18 Plan: An outline plan for establishing a harmonious hydro-met plan for the entire Sundarbans Landscape will be developed and handed over to the respective government agencies in both countries. Once consistency is established among the draft reports prepared in FY17, the reports will be used to support the Sundarbans Dialogue on joint work and cooperation. TARGETED ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Scope: This activity is undertaking hydrological, ecological and econometric studies for vulnerability assessment of the Sundarbans ecosystem in a changing climate. This activity will enhance awareness about climate change risks, promote technical cooperation, build the knowledge base to support joint management, and facilitate planning a holistic approach to the sustainable management of this extremely fragile mangrove forest. Timeframe: April 2015 – June 2018. Geography: Sundarbans: Bangladesh, India. Budget Allocation: $0.80M FY17 Progress: An analytical study, The Impact of Climate Change and Aquatic Salinization on Mangrove Species in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, was completed and published in the scientific journal Ambio (May 2017). The completed analysis, The Impact of Aquatic Salinization on Fish Habitats and Poor Communities in a Changing Climate: Evidence from Southwest Coastal Bangladesh, will be published in the scientific journal Ecological Economics. The analysis on change in the Sundarbans coastline over the past 100 years was near completion at the end of the FY. An analysis was conducted on identification of optimal width and density of mangrove plantation for protecting the Sundarbans Impact Zone from likely intensification of cyclonic storm surges in a changing climate. Studies were ongoing on estimation of impacts of climate change induced natural degradation on displacement of poor people. A technical workshop was held in Kolkata in February 2017 for understanding the physical and economic effects of climate change on the Sundarbans. Supported by SAWI, the workshop was held as part of the World Bank’s work to assess the implications of climate change in the Sundarbans through a number of multidisciplinary studies in collaboration with several research organizations in Bangladesh and India. Representatives from the Department of Fisheries and Department of Forestry in West Bengal and Bangladesh, along with 400 researchers from the two countries, participated in the workshop. A training session for 37 participants, by invitation only, on modeling of cyclone induced storm surges and river water salinity in a changing climate followed the event. Participants had the opportunity to review the MIKE 21 hydrodynamic model set up, including the Bay of Bengal model set up of cyclonic storm surge with and without climate change, input data processing, boundary generation and model simulation. The training provided a learning opportunity on how to process input data and climate change parameters for the rainfall runoff NAM model, the MIKE 11 and MIKE 21 hydrological models for simulation of location specific river salinity as well as the analysis of model results. FY18 Plan: The reports will be finalized and disseminated, including as a consolidated report/book. A technical knowledge exchange workshop, similar to the February 2017 Kolkata workshop for understanding the physical and economic effects of climate change on the Sundarbans, is tentatively planned for January 2018 in Dhaka. DELTA MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT PLANNING This activity is co-financed under the Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area and progress is described under that Focus Area (above). Timeframe: October 2015 – September 2017. Geography: Sundarbans Landscape; Bangladesh. Budget Allocation: $0.20M Annnexes 64 REGIONAL CROSS-CUTTING FOCUS AREA OBJECTIVE To build knowledge and capacity across the region in support of transboundary basin dialogue and cooperation. FOCUS AREA THEORY OF CHANGE The Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area will improve the regional water resources knowledge base, undertake capacity building for shared water resources management and cooperation, and support broad-based regional dialogue to enhance cooperation and management of transboundary waters in South Asia. Pillar 1 – Knowledge Related Activities CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS IN WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Scope: This activity is compiling and reviewing the knowledge base and tools that could assist governments in South Asia to adapt to emerging climate change challenges in the water sector. It will identify knowledge gaps for potential program support. Timeframe: November 2015 – July 2017. Geography: Regional. Budget Allocation: $0.53M FY17 Progress: A comprehensive study, Climate Risks and Opportunities: Adaptation Frameworks for Water Resources Planning, Development and Management in South Asia, was completed (June 2017). Jointly implemented by SAWI and IWMI, it drew from three background papers commissioned by SAWI: (1) Review of Climate Change Science, Knowledge and Impacts on Water Resources in South Asia; (2) Water and Climate Change Policy Review; and (3) Review of Water and Climate Adaptation Financing and Institutional Frameworks (December 2016). The reports unpack and address the nature of policy, planning, and operational challenges as regional governments and social systems attempt to adapt, mitigate, and manage these challenges and ensure that sustainable water management remains a central pillar in economic development and social stability. The comprehensive study reflects discussions held during a regional meeting convened in July 2016 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, that brought eight countries together to discuss climate- related water management for adaptation. More than 65 water resource and climate change experts, scientists and policymakers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka attended the regional event. The event was organized in partnership with IWMI and with support from the Government of Sri Lanka. Discussions centered around the adaptation frameworks and strategies necessary to respond to the dangers of climate change. Building on the Paris CoP21 agreement, the conference called for ensuring that water management is a key part of the adaptation agenda, and aimed to address the capacity challenge to manage resources more effectively. The conference recommended an adaptation framework for water resources planning, development and management that centers around five key dimensions: improving water resources and climate data and information; strengthening water resources governance instruments (policies, laws, institutions); building climate resilient infrastructure; promoting systematic planning and management of surface and groundwater; developing targeted communication and education about water-related climate; change risks and solutions, and enhancing participation of communities at all levels of decision making. FY18 Plan: The main report drawing on the three background papers will be disseminated in FY18. HIMALAYAN UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM GRANT (RE) Scope: This activity will enhance the partnership of research institutions participating in the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) and strengthen their joint capacity for collaborative research. It will establish the HUC as a vibrant and active South-South forum of knowledge generation and sharing, mountain curricula development, and capacity building among regional members, who will be able to leverage HUC participation and resultant benefits to provide water and mountain-related policy and technical advice to their respective governments. Executing Agency: ICIMOD Timeframe: January 2017 – June 2018. Geography: Regional; Hindu Kush Himalaya. Budget Allocation: $1.02M FY17 Progress: The RE grant became effective in January 2017. ICIMOD undertook activity preparation work, including formulating a grant selection committee. Calls for the institutional and individual grants were drafted, finalized and circulated in April and May 2017. Grant applications were reviewed; four researchers and faculty members from institutions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan received Conference Grants to participate in international conferences in FY18. The contracts for eight Seed Grants and one Seeding Grant were scheduled for signature in July 2017. To enhance the partnership of research institutions in the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region, the HUC Secretariat visited existing and potential HUC members in April and May 2017. Twenty-two full time faculty members and PhD scholars were admitted to a ten-day field school, titled HUC Academy on Disaster Risks and Water Management, to take place in July 2017. Development of the HUC online portal also commenced. FY18 Plan: Study tours will be conducted between institutions to broaden the HUC network and intensify interactions. Informal consultations will be held with IT and librarian teams of current and future member institutions to discuss information-sharing interests. Staff within the HUC Secretariat will be trained in program management. A visit by representatives from the Asian International River Center, Yunnan University, China, and Tribuvan University, Nepal to the Center of River Studies, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Patna, India, is planned for curriculum building purposes. An International Conference on Mountain Water and Livelihood, in conjunction with the HUC Annual Meeting, is scheduled to take place in Chengdu, China. A soft launch of the HUC website will be done in October 2017. 65 SAWI Annual Report HEP ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL PLANNING Scope: This activity aims to support the development of sustainability guidelines for hydropower development in Bhutan. The new guidelines are urgently needed to support the sustainable development of the planned vast expansion of hydropower in Bhutan in the next decade, which will see development in all major rivers of Bhutan (which are all transboundary). Timeframe: October 2016 – December 2017. Geography: Regional: Bhutan focus. Budget Allocation: $0.30M FY17 Progress: Guidelines for the Preparation and Construction of Hydropower, which cover environmental, social and technical aspects of hydropower development, were developed in close collaboration with the key hydropower institutions—the Department of Hydropower and Power Systems, Druk Green Power Corporation and Bhutan Power Corporation. A broad range of 50 stakeholders extensively consulted upon the guidelines during a three-day workshop in March 2017. Based on feedback the drafts were being improved and tested through a field application for one major hydropower project in Bhutan. The activity supported three staff from key hydropower institutions in Bhutan to participate in the World Hydropower Congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 2017, where the first draft of the guidelines was introduced. Extensive work was conducted during March and April 2017 to identify data holders, conduct inventories of aquatic biodiversity data, and to draft a report on the status of aquatic biodiversity in Bhutan. A similar exercise to support a national repository on cultural heritage with the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs was also fully supported by SAWI. The use of the national databases will be mandated by the new national hydropower guidelines, which also will give directives on how new data compiled for hydropower projects should be used to populate the national data repositories to gradually improve them. FY18 Plan: A workshop on the repository for aquatic biodiversity data is planned for early FY18. The draft hydropower guidelines will be tested on the Dorjilung hydropower project—which is one of the potential pipeline projects for future hydropower development in Bhutan—in July 2017. This test aims to give feedback on the draft guidelines to ensure the final version will be applicable and customized for Bhutan, and to give on-the-job-training in the use of the new guidelines. The guidelines will be finalized in September 2017 and are intended to be incorporated by the Government into the new hydropower policy. HEP RESILIENCE STUDIES Scope: Building on the successful Climate Change Impacts in HEP activity that concluded in FY16, this activity will undertake a small number of South Asian case studies of new global guidelines that are being developed for building climate resilience into hydropower design. The work will link closely to the ongoing SAWI technical assistance in support of hydropower basin planning and the environmental and social sustainability work for hydropower in Bhutan. This activity is part of a larger global World Bank effort on resilience in hydropower. Timeframe: November 2016 – October 2017. Geography: Regional. Budget Allocation: $0.2M FY17 Progress: Mott MacDonald was hired to develop technical guidelines to improve climate resilience for the hydropower and dams development community (final stage draft, June 2017). The guidelines are meant to be a practical set of methods and insights that enable projects to be resilient to future climate change risks as they proceed to completion. A renowned consultant was contracted to make sure that resilience to natural disasters, such as GLOFs and earthquakes specific to the Himalayas, were covered in the guidelines. The International Hydropower Association (IHA) in London was contracted to carry out the sediment components of the activity. Workshops on climate resilience and sediment management were organized in cooperation with the IHA in May 2017 at the World Congress on Hydropower. A two-day introductory course, Addressing Uncertainties in Water and Hydropower Projects: the Decision Tree Framework, was delivered in Kathmandu in September 2016 for 15 representatives of national development research and modeling institutions in Nepal. Led by a co-author of the “Decision Tree” framework developed with SAWI funding in FY16, the training walked participants through the four phases of the framework, and the data, models and level of effort needed and main questions that can be answered during each phase. The aim was for participants to be able to determine and define a project’s vulnerabilities and the likelihood of their occurrence, and how to hedge against climate/natural hazard risks. FY18 Plan: The technical guidelines will be finalized by September/October 2017. A workshop, supported by ICOLD and SAWI on climate resilience issues will be held during the 2017 ICOLD annual meeting in Prague. A workshop will be supported on shaping the future of hydropower at HYDRO in Seville, Spain in October 2017. Pillar 2 – Capacity Building Activities CAPACITY BUILDING—WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND ANALYSIS Scope: This activity is building capacity in the use of modern technologies for water quality monitoring and in techniques for water quality data analysis across South Asia. It is providing technical assistance to government agencies for design and implementation of real-time water quality monitoring networks, and supporting study tours for government officials to facilitate regional knowledge sharing on the real-world application of modern technologies and tools for real-time water quality monitoring, analysis and dissemination of information. Timeframe: February 2015 – September 2017. Geography: Regional; India focus. Budget Allocation: $0.31M Annnexes 66 FY17 Progress: SAWI provided technical advice to the Central Pollution Control Board (India) to implement a network of real-time water quality monitoring sensors to increase the use of modern technologies. Further analysis of real-time water quality data was conducted and a scorecard approach to data use is being introduced to the National Mission Clean Ganga on the use of real-time data. Three reports, Crowdsourcing Water Quality Data: A Conceptual Framework (November 2016), Existing and Emerging Technologies for Continuous Water Quality Measurement (December 2016) and Analysis of Water Quality Data from Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Stations on River Ganga (April 2017), were completed. Dissemination activities for products financed by the activity are in process. A presentation, “Monitoring Systems to Manage Water Quality of River Ganga” was made at the World Bank Expo of Water Resource Management Technologies and Tools in Almaty, Kazakhstan in September 2016. FY18 Plan: Training for the National Mission Clean Ganga on the use of a scorecard approach to analyze and communicate water quality data will be conducted. CAPACITY BUILDING—TRANSBOUNDARY WATER GOVERNANCE Scope: This activity is enhancing the capacity for transboundary waters governance and hydro-diplomacy of current and future water leaders in South Asia. To date, this grant has been used to support the implementation of a two-year capacity strengthening program requested and approved by the Bangladesh Ministry of Water Resources for training of officials of the Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in transboundary waters governance. Capacity strengthening program participants have received training in both basic and advanced water resources management (e.g. fundamentals of hydrology and IWRM, river basin modeling, flood risk management, hydropower management, groundwater management and conjunctive use) and topics related to transboundary water governance (e.g. international law and institutional frameworks, benefit sharing, and hydro-diplomacy). Government officials from the other SAWI countries have also received support to participate in these external training events. Timeframe: December 2014 – August 2017. Geography: Regional: Bangladesh focus. Budget Allocation: $0.37M FY17 Progress: Eight government officials (seven from Government of Bangladesh, one from Government of Afghanistan) were trained across three external training events: two officials at the 2016 Annual International Law and Transboundary Freshwater Training Workshop in Dundee, Scotland (July 2016); one participant at the 2016 Short Course on Watershed and River Basin Management, at UNESCO-IHE in Delft, the Netherlands (July 2016); and five officials at the 2017 Water Diplomacy Workshop in Boston, USA (June 2017). SAWI receives detailed testimonials from nearly all program participants, which highlight the fruitfulness of the program to build professional and institutional capacity within the three government agencies. Participants noted that they would be able to use the knowledge attained to educate others within their respective government departments. FY18 Plan: The capacity strengthening program will close in early FY18. One official from the Government of Bangladesh will attend the July 2017 Short Course on Watershed and River Basin Management, at UNESCO-IHE in Delft, the Netherlands. CAPACITY BUILDING—WATER GOVERNANCE (RE) Scope: This RE activity will support the design of short training modules and curriculum in water diplomacy and basin governance for uptake by participating universities and other institutions for long-term teaching of the topics. The training modules will aim to build capacity at the policy and technical levels, with a focus on transboundary water governance and hydro-diplomacy at the basin and sub-basin levels for policymakers, water agency technical staff, and students. With a goal to institutionalize and ensure sustainability of teaching on these subjects, the modules will support current and future decision makers to identify and consider transboundary and cooperative water governance as a policy option, and to negotiate and handle sensitive inter and intra-state water resources issues in bilateral and multilateral contexts. Executing Agency: IUCN Timeframe: January 2016 – January 2018. Geography: Regional. Budget Allocation: $0.42M FY17 Progress: The grant agreement was signed with IUCN in January 2017. The first Project Advisory Group meeting and inception workshop was planned for the end of the FY. The hiring of a program officer was in progress at the end of the FY. FY18 Plan: The short training modules and curriculum will be designed. CAPACITY BUILDING—IWRM IN TRANSBOUNDARY RIVER BASINS Scope: This activity supports activities relating to building capacity of water engineers, basin managers and policy/decision makers on holistic river basin approaches for effective water resources planning and management across the South Asia region. Capacity building activities include international study-cum exposure visits; customized training programs; and international workshops for sharing best practices. Timeframe: October 2015 – September 2017. Geography: Regional, India focus. Budget Allocation: $0.20M FY17 Progress: SAWI conducted two basic trainings on river basin operation software for 62 participants (January 2017) and one advanced training for 26 participants (May 2017) who had set up Riverware software for water resources planning and management. The activity also trained 24 water resources engineers from Ganges and Brahmaputra riparian States on real-time reservoir operation. The trainings were organized in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. All training material and presentations are available at www.indiaiwrm. org. The trainings have directly contributed to preparation of river basin planning systems for five sub-basins. The river model was introduced for the first time in India. FY18 Plan: All training material and a technical note to be used for upscaling under NHP will be finalized. 67 SAWI Annual Report CAPACITY BUILDING FOR GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT Scope: This activity is supporting improved groundwater management across South Asia by informing the design of the World Bank- financed NGMIP, and by supporting India’s ongoing dialogue with Pakistan and Bangladesh to reduce reliance on groundwater and to better utilize the resource as a buffer against droughts. Timeframe: February 2016 – June 2018. Geography: Regional; India focus. Budget Allocation: $0.70M FY17 Progress: The activity continued to inform the design of World Bank technical assistance related to policy and institutional reforms and investment operations in groundwater management, including the major NGMIP that is currently under preparation in India. The activity supported a number of India-specific studies that can potentially be replicated throughout the South Asia Region, including on standards and protocols for groundwater quality assessment and an assessment of groundwater quality in Rajasthan (September 2016), and an economic assessment (August 2016) and technical and environmental and social assessments (March 2017) of India’s NGMIP. As part of the preparation for these assessments, multiple consultations and capacity building on improved environmental and social management were conducted. A report on use of remote sensing in monitoring groundwater use was prepared (January 2017). SAWI supported a seminar on managing groundwater resources for sustainable growth at the Stockholm Water Week in August 2016. The seminar focused on several regional issues such as the governance frameworks for groundwater management in South Asia; emerging policy research areas for transboundary and cross-sectorial groundwater collaboration; and the implications of groundwater depletion on economic growth in South Asia. FY18 Plan: A regional diagnostic study of groundwater governance reforms and groundwater management for developing actions that can guide strengthening drought resilience in South Asia will commence in FY18. Carried out by IWMI, it will include a series of case studies and stakeholder consultation to focus on situations where agriculture is a major user of groundwater but will also include domestic water supply, including in the urban context, and in the context of sectoral prioritization of groundwater access as a component of drought management. IMPROVING WATERSHED MANAGEMENT Scope: This activity is strengthening coordination between the Neeranchal National Watershed Project (India) and other programs addressing basin-level water resources, watershed management and climate resilience in the region. Timeframe: October 2014 – June 2017. Geography: Regional; India focus. Budget Allocation: $0.13M FY17 Progress: SAWI provided significant support to the early implementation of the Neeranchal Project, both with the national partner and the nine partner States, through workshops and on-the-job training (September to December 2016), resulting in on-time approval of the 10 separate procurement plans. SAWI supported the national partner in preparation of ToRs and certain bidding documents for proposed consultancies and partnerships on agricultural performance, watershed technologies and forward linkages (September to December 2016). A State Project Implementation Plan was drafted with SAWI support, which will provide operational details of activities to be specifically taken up by the States, including requirements for human resources, expertise, financial allocations and procurement methods. Continued coordination and facilitation support was provided to the Department of Land Resources, which is the national implementing agency for Neeranchal (October-November 2016 and April-May 2017). Initial support was provided to the Assam Flood Project for watershed-related aspects. With a more regional focus, the activity supported the client to effectively organize and document a knowledge sharing event on Integrated Planning for Improved Agricultural and Natural Resource Outcomes (November 2016) for the national Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) scheme, which was attended by representatives from 22 Indian States, including Neeranchal Partner States. A knowledge sharing cum exposure visit to the Karnataka Watershed Development Project II (Bangalore) (December 2016) was organized for representatives from the nine partner States. Representatives had the opportunity to undertake field visits to see the impacts of the Sujala I Project and engage with stakeholders and beneficiaries. Presentations and meetings were also organized with the various partners engaged in the Land Resources Inventory initiative taken up under the Karnataka Watershed Development Project II. FY18 Plan: Completed. Pillar 3 – Regional Flood Forecasting IMPROVING FLOOD FORECASTING IN SOUTH ASIA Scope: This activity is contributing to flood forecasting across the greater Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin. It encompasses a detailed flood risk mapping of the Ganges Basin, development and testing of an innovative new flood forecasting modeling system and regional workshops to disseminate knowledge and to build momentum for cooperative action. Timeframe: December 2014 – September 2016. Geography: Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins. Budget Allocation: $0.50M FY17 Progress: UNESCAP and RIMES jointly organized the Regional Training for Flood Forecasting in Transboundary River Basins in October 2016 in Bangkok. This workshop brought together senior and mid-level professionals with operational responsibilities from national hydro-meteorological departments and disaster management authorities from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Nepal. Participants shared their operational mechanisms of flood forecasting and early warning systems and discussed the requirements for a transboundary flood forecasting system. This workshop was seen as the next step to achieve the resolution taken by the countries during the Regional Flood Early Warning System Workshop in FY16 to establish a Panel on Transboundary Flood Management for the South Asian Region, with RIMES serving as technical secretariat. Annnexes 68 Analytical and mapping work on historical flood data was undertaken to estimate economic losses in the Ganges Basin. A FRA Atlas has been developed, and was endorsed by the Government of India’s CWC and uploaded on their official website. The Atlas is capable of providing both inter-state as well transboundary assessment, which makes it useful for wider dissemination and knowledge sharing. SAWI developed a Flood Predictability Assessment for the Ganges and the Brahmaputra Basins. By providing operational real-time estimates, the tool aims to improve accuracy in the predictability of flood forecasting for rainfall and river flows, and enable comparison to be made across the basin. This can be used to help evacuation planning and mitigation of household economic losses. The tool uses different modeling techniques, makes innovative use of satellite transboundary data that is not reliant on information sharing between riparian countries or on-the-ground measurements, and provides the results in a way that can be easily understood. FY18 Plan: Completed. Pillar 4 – Dialogue Processes REGIONAL DIALOGUE Scope: This ongoing activity supports diverse opportunities to engage a broad set of stakeholders, including new and past dialogue participants. This grant has been used to convene multi-stakeholder dialogue processes at the regional level in South Asia in order to build trust and confidence among riparian countries and create and enabling environment for sustainable management of transboundary water resources. The approach has been to build on technocratic networks established at the country level and leverage the relationship to engage decision and policy makers at the regional level. The dialogue processes are designed to open up government-dominated water management to participatory multi-stakeholder processes from the local to the river basin level. The activity supports a diverse suite of dialogue events and forums and reaches out to a wider and more diverse set of actors across South Asia. Timeframe: December 2014 – June 2018. Geography: Regional. Budget Allocation: $0.90M FY17 Progress: Through its principal event sponsorship (under the World Bank), and event steering committee membership, the activity facilitated the convening of the International RiverSymposium in New Delhi in September 2016—the first time the event has been held outside Australia. The event brought together 450 delegates, including 249 delegates from India, of which 80 were officials from Indian state and central government water agencies (under the umbrella of the Government of India’s sponsorship of the event in recognition of the event’s capacity building value to the large technical team across the country engaged in the World Bank-funded NHP). The World Bank was highly visible at all RiverSymposium events and through a high profile display booth featuring several SAWI publications and SAWI-supported web tools, such as the FRA Atlas and the Indus GIS Mapping software. SAWI convened a special half-day session on the future management of the major Himalayan rivers, which was attended by more than 110 delegates. It culminated in a candid discussion on river basin planning, including on riparian cooperation by a panel of senior government water officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. Pakistan officials were unable to obtain visas to attend. This panel event broke new ground, as multilateral discussions on water by government officials in South Asia remain highly sensitive. Following the session, SAWI organized a closed policy dialogue on regional water cooperation, which included senior government water official participation from the basin riparian countries attending the RiverSymposium. FY18 Plan: SAWI is in discussion with the US State Department and other partners on the possibility of co-hosting a regional dialogue event in FY18. Thematic focus areas potentially include groundwater management, water quality and basin planning. 69 SAWI Annual Report Annex III: Knowledge Products This table lists knowledge products supported entirely or partially by SAWI resources in FY17. Output Format Dissemination Indus Focus Area Managing Blue Gold in South & Central Asia: A Comparative Study of Islamic Law and Journal Article Public International Water Law. Prepared by Rezaee, May 2017 GIS data-mapping tool, which is publicly available on the Indus Basin Knowledge Platform Online Public portal. Prepared by the IF-WG (accessible on IWMI website). Ganges Focus Area Kali Gandaki Hydropower Plant Rehabilitation Project: Catchment Management for Sediment Report Public Retention. Prepared by Vogl, Wolny, Hartger, Chinnasamy, Sood, Narain, Jiang, Rajbhandari, Sangraula, and Lamichhane, February 2017 Securing Irrigation in Rainfed Areas: Strategies and Experiences of the West Bengal Accelerated Technical Note Public Development of Minor Irrigation Project. Prepared by TTL, March 2017 Brahmaputra Focus Area Dialogue and Water Cooperation in the Brahmaputra River Basin. Prepared by Barua, September Journal Article Public 2016 Detailed Analysis of Existing Hydro-met Monitoring Networks, Forecasting and Early Warning Report Public Systems. Prepared by Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank, July 2016 Knowledge Inventory Report (Brahmaputra River Basin Assessment). Prepared by RTI Report Public International, October 2016 Brahmaputra River Basin Issues, Models, Needs Assessment. Prepared by RTI International, Report Public March 2017 Baseline of Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources for Development Planning within Key Report Public Economic Sectors. Prepared by RTI International, March 2017 Stakeholder Consultation Report. Prepared by RTI International, April 2017 Report Public Interactive Excel-Based File System (allowing users to explore the basin and extract relevant File System Public data) Sundarbans Focus Area The Impact of Aquatic Salinization on Fish Habitats and Poor Communities in a Changing Journal Article Public Climate: Evidence from Southwest Coastal Bangladesh. Prepared by Dasgupta, Huq, Mustafa, Sobhan and Wheeler, June 2017 The Impact of Climate Change and Aquatic Salinization on Mangrove Species in the Bangladesh Journal Article Public Sundarbans. Prepared by Dasgupta, Sobhan and Wheeler, May 2017 Nature’s Own People. Prepared by BISRCI, June 2017 Documentary Unreleased Film Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area Crowdsourcing Water Quality Data: A Conceptual Framework. Prepared by Borden and Borden, Report Public November 2016 Analysis of Water Quality Data from Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Stations on the River Report Public Ganges. Prepared by Modak, April 2017 Analysis of Existing and Emerging Technologies for Water Quality Assessment. Prepared by Report Public Innovative Hydrology Inc, December 2016 Annnexes 70 Flood Risk Assessment and Forecasting for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-and Meghna River Basins. Report Public Prepared by Priya, Young, Hopson and Avasthi, January 2017 Climate Risks and Solutions: Adaptation Frameworks for Water Resources Planning, Report Public Development and Management in South Asia. Prepared by Hirji, Nicol and Davis, June 2017. Based on three background papers: Background Paper 1: Review of Climate Change Science, Knowledge and Impacts on Water Resources in South Asia. Prepared by Lacombe, Chinnasamy and Nicol, December 2016 Background Paper 2: Water and Climate Change Policy Review. Prepared by Davis and Hirji, December 2016 Background Paper 3: Review of Water and Climate Adaptation Financing and Institutional Frameworks. Prepared by Suhardiman, de Silva, Arulingam, Rodrigo and Nicol, December 2016 Economic Assessment of India’s National Groundwater Management Improvement Program. Report Draft Prepared by Industrial Economics, Inc, August 2016 Technical Assessment of India’s National Groundwater Management Improvement Program. Report Draft Prepared by the World Bank, March 2017 Use of Remote Sensing in Monitoring Groundwater Use for Irrigation and Validating the Arrest Report Draft of Groundwater Decline in India. Prepared by Ozdogan, January 2017 Hydropower Sector Climate Resilience Guidelines Final Report. Prepared by Mott McDonald, Report Draft June 2017 71 SAWI Annual Report Annex IV: Financials The SAWI program is supported by a Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) administered by the World Bank on behalf of contributing development partners. This specific type of MDTF is known as a “Programmatic Trust Fund” to which donors commit funds designed to support a thematic framework rather than financing a specific project or activity. Within this framework, SAWI supports activities executed by recipient organizations as well as activities directly executed by the World Bank. Consistent with standard World Bank Trust Fund practices, donors pledge funding for SAWI (current pledges total US$30.7 million) and funds are deposited on an agreed schedule (current deposits total US$30.6 million). Then, in accordance with SAWI’s strategic planning efforts, funding is allocated to specific activities (at the close of FY17, allocations were US$29.9 million).26 Allocations are approved by the SAWI Internal Review Committee. SAWI works with clients (for RE activities) and World Bank Task Team Leaders (for BE activities) to develop Grant Funding Requests (GFRs) and related activity documentation. The World Bank then follows technical, legal and fiduciary procedures to establish activities and commits funds through its standard processes. Funds are disbursed according to the grant agreements and financing plans (cumulative disbursements thus far are US$16.7 million). SAWI’s funding process is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 1: SAWI’s Funding Process Current Funding Status Donors pledge funding for SAWI 31 Funds are deposited on an agredd schedule 30.6 SAWI allocates funding to specific activities; 29.9 internal review committee endorses allocations Funds are disbursed to activities according to 16.7 grant agreements and financing plans 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Amount in $M FINANCIAL SUMMARY (AT JUNE 30, 2017) Allocations as of Actual Expenditure Cumulative Expenditure Contractual Focus Area June 30, 2017 for FY17 since Inception Commitments Indus $ 2,325,293 $ 453,550 $ 2,124,407 $ 68,410 Ganges $ 10,644,633 $ 1,161,905 $ 3,590,509 $ 2,358,295 Brahmaputra $ 4,372,632 $ 1,179,990 $ 2,828,244 $ 975,172 Sundarbans $ 3,027,448 $ 840,060 $ 2,050,599 $ 459,315 Regional Cross-Cutting $ 7,382,463 $ 1,788,262 $ 4,897,813 $ 467,825 Program $ 2,109,145 $ 242,475 $ 1,250,990 $ 15,360 TOTAL $ 29,861,615 $ 5,666,243 $ 16,742,563 $ 4,344,378 26 Note that this is SAWI’s financial position as of June 30, 2017. In early FY18 adjustments to allocations were made following an in-depth review of the program. These adjustments are not reported here. Annnexes 72 DISBURSEMENTS BY ONGOING ACTIVITIES (AT JUNE 30, 2017) Cumulative Grant Expenditure Expenditure Activity Name Amount for Since FY17 US$ US$ Inception US$ Program TF014265 SAWI II Program Administration and Management 2,109,145 242,476 1,250,991 TF017869 Strategic Communications 700,000 177,917 485,807 TF0A2363 Achieving Results 200,000 16,920 21,375 Total Program 3,009,145 437,313 1,758,173 Indus Basin Focus Area TF018455 Indus Dialogue 700,000 263,412 594,387 TF0A0640 Kabul/Kunar Basin Development 600,000 190,137 504,727 Total Indus Basin 1,300,000 453,549 1,099,114 Ganges Basin Focus Area TF018129 Sustainable Water Resources Development for HEP in Nepal (BE) 1,700,000 81,144 318,795 TF018488 Water Resources Management in Transboundary Basins; India 500,000 126,815 380,614 TF018509 Ganges Dialogue 401,309 15,318 150,379 TF018570 Sustainable Water Resources Development for HEP in Nepal (RE) 2,500,000 0 0 TF018717 Strategic Basin Planning 4,000,000 552,436 1,841,910 TF0A1269 Strengthening Flood Modelling Capacity in Bihar (RE) 475,000 215,140 215,140 TF0A1373 Bihar FMIS Flood Forecasting 500,000 76,753 115,348 Total Ganges Basin 10,076,309 1,067,606 3,022,186 Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area TF018637 Hydro-met Modernization in the Brahmaputra Basin 250,000 43,030 242,712 TF018849 Brahmaputra Dialogue 700,000 107,982 529,781 Delta Management Investment Planning and Basin Analysis; TF0A1154 800,000 466,865 569,949 Bangladesh TF0A2312 Basin Modelling and Analysis 1,200,000 337,302 351,143 Bhutan Hydro-met Services and Disaster Resilience Regional TF0A3513 500,000 212,027 212,027 Project Total Brahmaputra Basin 3,450,000 1,167,206 1,905,612 73 SAWI Annual Report Sundarbans Landscape Focus Area TF0A0121 Targeted Environmental Studies 800,000 477,207 723,128 TF0A0122 Sundarbans Dialogue 1,000,000 229,431 637,857 TF0A0986 Landscape Hydro-met Design 400,000 46,094 120,852 TF0A1366 Delta Management Investment Planning (Sundarbans) 200,000 0 134,300 TF0A2516 Landscape-scale Joint Environmental Plan 300,000 87,329 107,015 Total Sundarbans Landscape 2,700,000 840,061 1,723,152 Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area TF017869 Strategic Communications 700,000 177,917 485,807 TF018290 Improving Watershed Management; India 125,000 65,137 121,012 TF018766 Regional Dialogue 900,000 338,161 703,786 TF018768 Capacity Building - Transboundary Water Governance 370,000 65,608 347,465 TF019090 Capacity Building - WQ Monitoring and Analysis 310,000 64,752 268,624 TF0A1367 Capacity Building - IWRM in Transboundary River Basin; India 200,000 84,184 188,023 TF0A1491 Climate Change Risks in Water Resources Management 530,000 324,773 500,842 TF0A2044 Capacity Building for Groundwater Management 700,000 258,294 461,942 TF0A2363 Achieving Results 200,000 16,920 21,375 TF0A3877 Bhutan-HEP Environmental and Social Planning 300,000 157,210 157,210 TF0A3886 Capacity Building Water Governance (RE) 420,000 150,000 150,000 TF0A3996 South Asia HEP Resilience Studies 200,000 84,264 84,264 TF0A4131 Himalaya University Consortium Grant (RE) 1,020,000 0 0 Total Regional Cross-Cutting 5,975,000 1,787,220 3,490,350 Ongoing Activities Total 25,610,454 5,558,118 12,491,405 Annnexes 74 CLOSED ACTIVITIES (AT JUNE 30, 2017) Cumulative Grant Expenditure Expenditure Activity Name Amount for Since US$ FY17 US$ Inception US$ Indus Basin Focus Area TF014935 SAWI Indus FA Engagement 271,735 0 $271,735 TF015737 Project Development: Glacier Monitoring in the Upper Indus Basin 101,825 0 $101,825 TF016290 Learning Innovative Approaches to Glacier Monitoring to Address 212,567 0 $212,567 Climate Change TF016430 Integrated Management of the Kunar River Basin 439,167 0 $439,167 Total Indus Basin $1,025,293 0 1,025,293 Ganges Basin Focus Area TF015480 SAWI Ganges FA Engagement 348,611 0 $348,611 TF0A0621 Managing Watersheds to Reduce Upstream Sediment for HEP: Nepal 219,713 94,299 $219,713 Total Ganges Basin $568,324 94,299 568,324 Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area TF015001 Concept Note Development Brahmpaputra FA 195,808 0 $195,808 TF016291 Brahmaputra Basin Focus Area 40,218 0 $40,218 TF016429 The Brahmaputra River Basin Assessment 35,526 0 $35,526 TF017496 River Management Improvement: Bangladesh 268,213 11,755 $268,213 TF017526 Brahmaputra Integrated Water Resources Management Study Tour 183,700 0 $183,700 TF0A0642 Environmental and Social Management for Sustainable HEP: Bhutan 199,169 1,030 $199,169 Total Brahmaputra Basin $922,632 12,785 922,632 Sundarbans Landscape Focus Area TF017032 SAWI Sundarbans FA Engagement 327,448 0 $327,448 Total Sundarbans Landscape $327,448 0 327,448 Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Area TF015757 SAWI Cross-Cutting Knowledge, Dialogue and Consultation 252,366 0 $252,366 TF016326 Transboundary Risk Management and Data Sharing 171,386 0 $171,386 TF017907 Climate Change Impacts on HEP 337,045 0 $337,045 TF018522 Snow/Glacier Contributions to Stream-flows and Climate 147,174 0 $147,174 TF018731 Improving Flood Forecasting in South Asia 499,493 1,042 $499,493 Total Regional Cross-Cutting 1,407,463 1,042 1,407,463 Closed Activities Total 4,251,161 108,127 4,251,161 75 SAWI Annual Report Annex V: Gender Mapping of Selected Activities Transboundary National Sub-National 1. Gender In depth targeted work on social FRA has gender disaggregated data Bihar FMIS uses gender Analysis inclusion in transboundary water which facilitates analysis. disaggregated data which facilitates management, with a focus on analysis. gender is planned to commence in FY18. This builds on the ongoing work, by the World Bank’s Water GP on social inclusion and water. The Sundarbans studies on fisheries and on nutrition are bringing a gender lens to the negative impacts of climate change, and opening up space for a more holistic dialogue on these issues. 2. M&E Through M&E tracking. Through M&E tracking. Through M&E tracking. (Ongoing) 3. Targeting Gender is being integrated into Multiple consultations and Gender considerations are included and the design of the Brahmaputra capacity building events were in the Ganges Strategic Basin Participating Strategic Basin Assessment, conducted during the preparation Planning activity that works across which will help to inform future of the environmental and social 11 States of India. strategies and investments that systems assessment (ESSA) for integrate gender equality and national groundwater management Consultations at local levels in women’s empowerment. Gender improvement program in India. The the Sundarbans have included is also one of the themes around ESSA focused on gender issues and representative engagement with which the Brahmaputra Symposium provided concrete recommendations women’s groups. (scheduled in September 2017) is for a gender-informed groundwater being structured. investment program (e.g. the need for 20 percent women participation As part of the Sundarbans dialogue, in the development of groundwater SAWI held a workshop (April 2017, security plans). Kolkata) on the participation and employment1 of women in inland navigation. The event brought together women leaders from the shipping industry, representative from academic institutions responsible for training of inland shipping crew, women from the National Cadet Corps, and women from the local community involved in commercial boat operations. The Government of West Bengal has requested that similar workshops be held in all coastal and estuarine districts. Annnexes 76 Transboundary National Sub-National 4. Public SAWI has developed a citizen- Awareness centric framework for crowd- and Social sourced data to enable citizens to Marketing get real-time data on the status of water quality. Gender issues constitute an important part of this approach, both in terms of assessing the social conditions within which it is applied, as well as the relevance and usefulness to both men and women. 5. Capacity Twenty-seven women engineers Building and (from a cohort of 112) have Organizational benefitted from formal training Development on river basin planning and management software this year. SAWI is also helping to strengthen capacity of male and female stakeholders by introducing them to key concepts; for instance, a training course was held for NEA staff on the “Process of Social Impact Assessment” in April 2017. 77 SAWI Annual Report Annex VI: Country Activity Profiles AFGHANISTAN • SAWI facilitated the finalization of the IF-WG’s baseline assessments on available knowledge on glaciers and climate SUMMARY change in the Indus Basin as well as a glacier knowledge SAWI efforts in Afghanistan are pursued under the Indus Focus mapping tool. The baseline assessment on available Area. Program activities are directed primarily toward: (1) glacier data was made publicly available on the Indus Basin strengthening capacity within the Government of Afghanistan for Knowledge Platform (hosted by IWMI). establishing institutional frameworks for transboundary water and • SAWI supported restructuring (additional World Bank infrastructure; (2) facilitating dialogue between Afghanistan and financing of $70M) of the World Bank’s Afghanistan Irrigation Pakistan to enhance coordination and reach cooperation on the Rehabilitation and Development Project, with an increased development and management of the Kunar/Kabul River Basin; focus on transboundary river basin management. and (3) supporting a dialogue for Afghanistan and the other Indus Basin countries to build confidence and trust in order to establish LOOKING FORWARD an enabling environment for basin-wide cooperation. Capacity Building: Training workshops are planned on organization and function of RBOs and transboundary Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in Afghanistan: groundwater. A study tour/exposure visit to the Nile Basin is An inter-ministerial working group on transboundary waters, planned in October 2017, at the end of the activity. comprising technical-level staff representatives from the MEW, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dialogue: SAWI will support the implementation of the Indus National Environmental Protection Agency. Knowledge Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka in July 2017, which will aim to provide a platform for exchange of the latest research Major Country Level Activities: (Total Investment: ~US$1.3M) on the Indus Basin between participants from the basin and • Kabul/Kunar Basin Development: $0.6M from third countries. It will bring together more than 100 key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia and the • Indus Dialogue: $0.7M private sector, including IF members from the four basin countries. FY17 KEY OUTPUTS The research proposal will undergo a final review among the IF- WG members and an internal peer review. • In July 2015, the Government of Afghanistan approached the World Bank to design and implement an extensive capacity building package for government officials to conduct BANGLADESH meaningful dialogue with Pakistan and other riparian neighbors regarding the management and development of SUMMARY the water resources Afghanistan shares with these countries. SAWI efforts in Bangladesh are pursued under the Brahmaputra, It was determined that the government had some capacity in Sundarbans and Regional Cross-cutting Focus Areas. The many areas, and this capacity needed to be harnessed, further program activities in Bangladesh (some of which are linked to enhanced, and made more cohesive and comprehensive activities in India) are directed primarily toward: (1) preparation in the short-term. Forty-nine Afghan government officials of an Investment Plan for the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 have participated in 18 seminars and 142 hours of training and conducting an analysis of modelling platforms for the covering a wide range of topics to cover the broad spectrum Brahmaputra Basin; (2) strengthening hydro-met modernization of issues related to dialogue and developing relations with by informing the design of the Bangladesh Weather and Climate co-riparians. Fifteen individuals have participated in 80 Services Regional Project; (3) undertaking targeted studies in percent or more of the seminars, which demonstrates their the Sundarbans and designing a Sundarbans hydro-met system; deep commitment to capacity building. The training material (4) involving high level country delegations in SAWI-supported will be combined into a training manual that can be used as dialogue activities at the regional as well as basin (Brahmaputra reference material and by Afghan institutions. and Sundarbans) scale; and (5) capacity building. • The IF is a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform (with participation from the four basin countries, including Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in Bangladesh: Afghanistan), aimed at identifying strategic opportunities Department of Water Resources, Bangladesh Forest Department, for collaborative management of the Indus Basin’s water Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Fisheries resources, for inclusive development and climate resilience. Research Institute, Institute of Water Modeling, Bangladesh Soil The IF identified climate change research as an area for Research Institute, General Economics Division, BISRCI. cooperative action among the riparians. SAWI has supported the development of a joint research proposal of the four Major Country Level Activities: (Total Investment: ~US$4.6M) riparians on Understanding the Impact of Climate Change in • Delta Management Investment Planning and Basin Analysis: the Indus Basin through convening (1) a study tour on glacier $0.8M + $0.2M monitoring in the Swiss Alps, bringing together participants • Sundarbans Landscape-scale Joint Environmental Plan: from the four Indus Basin countries and international experts $0.3M on climate change, glaciology and hydrology, to understand and learn about research approaches to glacier monitoring • Sundarbans Targeted Environmental Studies: $0.8M in the Swiss Alps and to discuss and finalize the IF-WG joint • Sundarbans Landscape Hydro-met Design: $0.4M research proposal and lay down next steps for its coordination • Sundarbans Dialogue: $1.0M and research mobilization; and (2) an IF joint meeting with the UIB Network in Kathmandu in May 2017 to present • Brahmaputra Dialogue: $0.7M the joint research proposal package (and discuss resource • Capacity Building—Transboundary Water Governance: $0.4M mobilization opportunities to fund the study). Annnexes 78 KEY OUTPUTS Dialogue: Several meetings are proposed in the Sundarbans • The Bangladesh country-level study of the Brahmaputra and Brahmaputra Basins. In the Sundarbans, these include Basin aimed to establish a modelling framework for basin preparatory meetings in July and August 2017 in support of the planning, including conducting an inventory of existing BISRCI. The BISRCI film on the Sundarbans will be launched information / data and modeling efforts. The study has been in October 2017 in Delhi, Kolkata and Dhaka. A workshop completed and stakeholders, including government, have to discuss BISRCI recommendations for augmented inland expressed a keen interest in continuing the collaboration in waterway transport will also be held in October 2017. A media follow-on work. workshop will be conducted in December 2017. Several small roundtables and one-on-one meetings to build support for the • Technical support aided preparation of the Investment Plan final organizational design of the Joint Platform will be held for the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, which adopts a regional between July 2017 and January 2018. In September 2017, a and long-term approach to prioritizing investments. high-level regional symposium on the Brahmaputra Basin will be • Various national-focused activities are supporting the organized in partnership with SaciWATERs, IIT-Guwahati and TERI government toward enhancing hydro-met data collection and University. It aims to bring together policymakers, academicians, management, which provide the building blocks of basin/ NGOS and other stakeholders involved in the Basin to share landscape-level information systems. experience and knowledge of the system with an eye toward • Extensive consultations, stakeholder engagement and strengthening the shared understanding of opportunities and risks training on analytical approaches to basin planning and and the potential for future cooperation. model design parameters have taken place in Bangladesh, involving some 100 individuals from over 20 organizations, including government, technical support organizations, BHUTAN academia and NGOs. SUMMARY • SAWI has helped to scope and inform investments in SAWI efforts in Bhutan are pursued under the Brahmaputra and hydro-met systems for improved flood forecasting and early Regional Cross-cutting Focus Areas. The program activities are warning. Technical work improved the design of the World directed primarily toward: (1) strengthening Bhutan’s capacity for Bank-financed ($113M) Bangladesh Weather and Climate hydro-met services and disaster preparedness; and (2) improving Services Regional Project, effective May 2017. the design of Bhutan’s hydropower projects by enhancing • A two-year capacity strengthening program covering various the environmental and social aspects. Bhutan has also been topics in transboundary water governance and resource actively involved in SAWI-supported dialogue activities on the management is near completion. In all, seventeen government Brahmaputra Basin, in addition to regional dialogue events. officials from the Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission, Ministry of Water Resources, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in Bhutan: the Bhutan; and Afghanistan participated in eleven training Department of Hydropower and Power Systems, Druk Green courses offered by internationally renowned institutions. Power Corporation and Bhutan Power Corporation, the National Participants have stressed the value of the trainings in Center for Hydrology and Meteorology, Department of Hydro-met building professional capacity and networks, and have noted Services, Department of Disaster Management, Department of that they would use the knowledge gained to educate others Agriculture, Royal Society for the Protection of Nature, Ministry of within their respective government departments. Agriculture and Forests, and National Environment Commission. • Senior government officials and opinion leaders are involved in both Brahmaputra and Sundarbans Dialogue. Specifically, Direct Country Relevant Activities: (Total Investment: the SAWI-supported BISRCI has indirectly influenced several ~US$2.5M) policy related discussions including: nationally determined • Hydro-met Modernization in the Brahmaputra Basin: $0.3M climate change actions in both India and Bangladesh; advancing strategic cooperation between both countries, • Bhutan Hydro-met Services and Disaster Improvement: especially on the Sundarbans; initial ideas on managing $0.5M national parks on both sides without explicit reference to • Bhutan-HEP Environmental and Social Planning: $0.5M the border; gaining agreement on cooperation on the ‘blue • South Asia HEP Resilience Studies: $0.3M economy’ agenda between the two countries; and facilitating the signing of an agreement that allows passenger and cruise • Environmental and Social Management for Sustainable HEP: vessels on coastal and protocol routes. On the Brahmaputra, $0.2M a regional-level workshop was held in Singapore in October • Brahmaputra Dialogue $0.7M 2016, which provided a neutral platform for various stakeholders from the four riparian countries, including KEY OUTPUTS Bangladesh, to engage, build a common understanding of • SAWI supported two national-level workshops in Bhutan the issues and challenges, and begin to identify potential (September 2016 and March 2017) as part of the opportunities for basin-wide collaboration. Brahmaputra dialogue. The first workshop was a lead-up to the regional-level workshop held in Singapore in October LOOKING FORWARD 2016, which neutral platform for various stakeholders to Delta Planning: The Investment Plan was being finalized at engage, build a common understanding of the issues and the end of FY17. A final report on the Investment Plan will be begin to identify opportunities for basin-wide collaboration. completed and disseminated at a workshop toward the end of 2017. For the basin analysis, a follow-up activity is being • A detailed analysis of existing hydro-met monitoring considered to further develop national planning capacity. networks, forecasting and early warning systems for Bhutan was completed. A report summarizing the findings of Landscape Joint Environmental Plan: The final dissemination Modernizing Weather, Water and Climate Services: A Road workshop for the report on status and health of fisheries Map for Bhutan, prepared through extensive consultations resources in the Sundarbans, including the near-shore fisheries with RGoB, has been published and disseminated. as well as the estuarine aquaculture is (tentatively) planned for • SAWI technical capacity support is strengthening the October 2017. Other outputs from the activity, including the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) National Center for landscape narrative, will be disseminated at the various events Hydrology and Meteorology to address technical issues in organized under the SAWI Sundarbans Dialogue activity. their investments, through improving hydro-met monitoring 79 SAWI Annual Report networks, forecasting and early warning systems and cut across engagements in other basin countries that have undertaking capacity needs assessment. included participation of Chinese delegates. • Senior government water officials from Bhutan participated • Brahmaputra: In October 2016, a basin scale workshop was in the International RiverSymposium held September 2016 in held in Singapore, which included participation by Chinese New Delhi—one of the most reputed conferences in the region. academics and think-tank representatives. Prior to that, in The event culminated in a ground-breaking candid panel July 2016, a national-level dialogue was held in China in discussion on river basin planning and riparian cooperation. partnership with Yunnan University that provided a platform • Senior and mid-level professionals from Bhutan attended for the dialogue convenors (SaciWATERs) to engage with the UNESCAP and RIMES jointly organized flood forecasting academics from China and strengthen bilateral relationships. training workshop in October 2016 in Bangkok. This In May 2017, several one-on-one meetings were held workshop was an important step toward the establishment of between representatives of IIT Guwahati and Shanghai a Panel on Transboundary Flood Management for the Region. Institute of International Studies, which further expanded the Brahmaputra Dialogue network in China and helped identify • With SAWI support, Bhutan is developing its first-ever opportunities for collaboration between the stakeholders complete national guidelines for preparation and construction from all four riparian countries. of hydropower covering environmental, social and technical aspects. • Indus: Academics from China Meteorological Division have been integral to the Indus Basin Dialogue forum since its • Building on SAWI’s knowledge work, a $3.8M project co- inception and are leading the development of Work Package financed by the GFDRR was initiated to strengthen Bhutan’s 4 in the Joint Research Proposal, that is currently under capacity for hydro-met services and disaster preparedness, preparation. In FY17 they have participated in all meetings, which became effective in October 2016. including a study tour on glacier monitoring to the Swiss Alps LOOKING FORWARD (October 2016), and a joint meeting between the IF and the Hydro-met and Disaster Management: An assessment of UIB Network (May 2017). areas for regional collaboration on capacity enhancement LOOKING FORWARD on meteorological forecasting and services delivery will be conducted. Reports on agro-met services in Bhutan will be Dialogue: Delegates from China have committed to staying involved in the basins as well as regional dialogue processes, published and disseminated. A conference on strengthening including at the Indus Knowledge Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka in regional cooperation on hydro-met and climate services is July 2017, and the Brahmaputra River Symposium in New Delhi in planned for FY18. The bids for the main package under the September 2017. enhancement of aviation meteorology component are under evaluation and the contract awarding is scheduled for the end of July 2017, followed by installation and testing of the aviation Climate Change Impacts Research: Academics from China are taking a leadership role in mobilizing resources for the joint met equipment. The activities to set up the common operating research proposal on impact of climate change on the glaciers of platform will be commenced in FY18. the Indus Basin. HEP Environmental and Social Planning: A workshop on the Compared to other countries, China’s involvement in SAWI has repository for aquatic biodiversity data is planned for early FY18. been relatively limited and primarily restricted to non-government The draft hydropower guidelines will be tested on the proposed actors, but there appears to be increasing opportunities for World Bank-funded Dorjilung hydropower project in July 2017. The regional engagement. guidelines will be finalized in September 2017 and are intended to be incorporated into the new government Hydropower Policy. INDIA Dialogue: Senior representatives from Bhutan are expected to participate in the September 2017 regional Symposium on SUMMARY the Brahmaputra Basin, which follows from the country-level SAWI efforts in India are pursued under the Indus, Ganges, meetings in Bhutan on the Brahmaputra Basin. Brahmaputra, Sundarbans and Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Areas. The program activities in India are directed primarily CHINA toward (1) scenario-based river basin modeling and participatory river basin planning; (2) informing the design of various SUMMARY investment operations in India through analytical work and SAWI efforts in China are pursued under the Indus, Brahmaputra exposure to international best practice; (3) improving climate risk and Regional Cross-Cutting Focus Areas. The activities in China assessment and flood forecasting; (4) improving groundwater are directed primarily toward knowledge sharing and dialogue for management; (5) capacity building through training in issues improved water resources management in the Brahmaputra and related to water resources management, including water quality Indus River Basins. and basin planning; (6) targeted studies on the Sundarbans; (7) participation in dialogue events on the Sundarbans, Brahmaputra Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in China: Chinese Basin and regionally. Academy of Sciences, China Meteorological Division, Shanghai Institute of International Studies, Yunnan University, Fudan Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in India: MoWR, University, Beijing Institute of Contemporary International RD&GR; CWC and CGWB; National Institute of Hydrology; Relations, and China Reform Forum. Brahmaputra Board; Central Pollution Control Board; multiple State Governments (in Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins); and Major Country Relevant Activities: (Total Investment: ~US$1.4M) Central Pollution Control Board. • Indus Dialogue: $0.7M Direct Country Relevant Activities: (Total Investment: • Brahmaputra Basin Dialogue: $0.7M ~US$11.8M) • Strategic Basin Planning for the Ganges in India: $4.0M KEY OUTPUTS • Water Resources Management in Transboundary Basin: $0.5M • Given SAWI’s activities in China are primarily through the • Strengthening FMIS Capacity in Bihar (RE): $0.47M basin and regional level dialogue forums, the outputs also • Bihar FMIS Flood Forecasting (BE): $0.5M Annnexes 80 • Brahmaputra Basin Modeling and Analysis: $1.2M • The BISRCI has found significant traction at the highest • Brahmaputra Basin Dialogue: $0.7M policymaking levels in both Bangladesh and India. BISRCI facilitated the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of • Sundarbans Landscape-scale Joint Environmental Plan: $0.3M Understanding (a significant policy development) that • Sundarbans Dialogue: $1.0M enables shipping protocols to allow passenger travel and • Sundarbans Landscape Hydro-met Design: $0.4M tourism in the Sundarbans area. BISRCI provided inputs • Sundarbans Targeted Environmental Studies: $0.8M the agenda for discussions between the Prime Ministers • Capacity Building—Water Quality Monitoring and Analysis: of Bangladesh and India, in April 2017. This helped to $0.3M establish local dialogues (between the community/local government and the state/federal levels of government), • Capacity Building—IWRM in Transboundary River Basins: and was perceived as critical to strengthening the high-level $0.2M discussions. India is involved in the SAWI-supported targeted • Capacity Building for Groundwater Management: $0.7M studies being conducted in the Sundarbans. • Improving Watershed Management: $0.1M • SAWI contributed to improving groundwater management • Indus Dialogue: $0.7M in India by conducting a number of India-specific studies that can potentially be replicated throughout the South KEY OUTPUTS Asia Region. These include on standards and protocols • SAWI is providing technical assistance, including capacity for groundwater quality assessment and an assessment of building and analytical work to inform the preparation of and groundwater quality in Rajasthan, an economic assessment support the implementation of various investment operations of improved groundwater management in India, and technical, in India, including NHP; NGMIP; NGRBP; the Assam Flood, environmental and social assessments of India’s NGMIP. Erosion and River Management Project; UPWSRP; West These studies have informed NGMIP and serve as a basis for Bengal Major Irrigation and Flood Management Project; regional work that will commence in FY18 (refer below). BKDP; and the Neeranchal National Watershed Project. • Through its principal event sponsorship (under the World • An assessment and mapping of flood risks in the Ganges Bank), and event steering committee membership, SAWI Basin resulted in the preparation of the FRA Atlas, now facilitated the convening of the International RiverSymposium hosted on the website of the Indian CWC. in New Delhi in September 2016—the first time the event has been held outside Australia. The event brought together 450 • SAWI developed a Flood Predictability Assessment for the delegates, including 249 delegates from India, of which 80 Ganges and the Brahmaputra Basins. By providing operational were officials from Indian state and central government water real-time estimates the tool aims to improve accuracy in the agencies (under the umbrella of the Government of India’s predictability of flood forecasting for rainfall and river flows, sponsorship of the event in recognition of the event’s capacity and enable comparison to be made across the basin. building value to the large technical team across the country • The above tool is currently being customized for Bihar engaged in the World Bank-funded NHP). in partnership with the National Centre for Atmospheric • SAWI provided technical advice to the Central Pollution Research (NCAR). SAWI is also supporting capacity building Control Board to implement a network of real time water for Government of Bihar officials on flood forecasting quality monitoring sensors to increase the use of modern technologies through targeted training and study visits. A technologies. high-level delegation (including the Minister, and Principal Secretary Water Resources Department, Government of • See Afghanistan country profile above regarding the IF Bihar) visited Japan in December 2016 to learn about and joint research proposal on climate change impacts in institutional and technological perspectives of real-time the Indus Basin, and baseline assessments on available flood forecasting. Two Government of Bihar officials attended knowledge on glaciers and climate change in the Indus Basin an operational flood forecasting training organized by LOOKING FORWARD RIMES and UNESCAP at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, in October 2016. Groundwater Management: a regional diagnostic study of groundwater governance reforms and groundwater management • Technical assistance in scenario-based river basin modeling for developing actions that can guide strengthening drought and participatory river basin planning for the Ganges Basin resilience in South Asia will be conducted. in India has acted as a demonstrator in participatory basin planning. The activity includes a comprehensive program of River Modeling: training on river modeling software for stakeholder consultation and technical training across 11 stakeholders of Damodar Basin is planned or the immediate basin States. future, with roll-out to other basins envisioned under NHP. The • An advanced river model software was introduced for the development of a participatory basin planning framework for the first time in India, and trainings have directly contributed to Ganga Basin in India will be concluded in FY18. preparation of river basin planning systems for five sub- basins in India. Flood Forecasting: SAWI will continue to work with government • An integrated water resources management tool for the of Bihar to improve forecast information and technologies to Damodar Basin, currently being tested, has already resulted in meet Bihar’s needs; and is expanding its forecast coverage to the inter-agency collaboration on data between the West Bengal major river basins of Bihar as well as those covered by the whole Irrigation and Waterways Department, Damodar Valley of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins. SAWI will continue to Corporation, and West Bengal State Level Ground Water promote dialogue and operational real-time data sharing models Resources Development Authority. to encourage upstream-downstream collaboration in flood • SAWI is effectively providing a neutral platform for all four management between Nepal and India. riparian countries of the Brahmaputra Basin, including India, to engage, build a common understanding of the issues and Strategic Basin Assessment: a strategic basin assessment will be challenges, and begin to identify potential opportunities undertaken as a basis for basin planning in the Brahmaputra in India. for basin-wide collaboration. To convene the first regional dialogue required a sustained effort, including several rounds Dialogue: India is planning to send a high-level delegation to of formal and informal national level consultations to build the regional Brahmaputra River Symposium in September 2017, support at the country level (including across the multiple and is continuing dialogue processes with Bangladesh on the States of India that share the Brahmaputra Basin). Sundarbans. 81 SAWI Annual Report NEPAL Generating and Sharing Knowledge: SAWI also continues to support knowledge and data sharing through technical dialogue, SUMMARY collaborative research, communications websites, on critical areas SAWI efforts in Nepal are pursued under the Ganges and Regional of national and regional importance such as flood forecasting, Cross-Cutting Focus Areas. The program activities in Nepal are climate change, and Himalayan mountain ecology through the HUC. directed primarily toward: (1) strengthening transboundary climate change resilience and flood mitigation; (2) supporting development Informing Investments: SAWI activities will continue to inform of hydropower taking into consideration transboundary the World Bank’s Nepal Power Sector Reform and Sustainable considerations and future climate risks; and (3) strengthening Hydropower Development Project to support a basin-wide transboundary water governance and technical cooperation. approach for hydropower development, and climate resilient planning and designs. Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in Nepal: WECS, Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM); NEA; Independent Power Producers Association of PAKISTAN Nepal, Himalaya University Consortium. SUMMARY Direct Country Relevant Activities: (Total Investment: ~US$4.2M) SAWI efforts in Pakistan are pursued under the Indus Focus Area. Program activities are directed primarily toward: (1) facilitating • Sustainable Water Resources Development for HEP in Nepal a national dialogue process in Pakistan to implement the (RE+BE): $2.2M recommendations from the 2013 Pakistan Water Summit with key • Strengthening FMIS Capacity in Bihar (RE+BE): $1.0M stakeholders to identify specific opportunities for water reform • Himalayan University Consortium Grant (RE), US$1.0M and investment; (2) to facilitating dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan to enhance coordination and reach cooperation KEY OUTPUTS on the development and management of the Kunar/Kabul River Basin; and (3) supporting dialogue between Pakistan and the • SAWI is encouraging development of operational real-time other Indus Basin countries to build confidence and trust in order data sharing models to encourage upstream-downstream to establish an enabling environment for basin-wide cooperation. collaboration in flood management between Nepal and the State Government of Bihar. Primary organizations SAWI is engaging with in Pakistan: • First of their kind models for climate change risk screening Pakistan Ministry of Climate Change and Water Environment and resilience measures under uncertainty are being Forum. integrated into government hydropower investments. This led to design changes to climate proof the Upper Arun Major Country Level Activities: (Total Investment: ~US$0.7M) Hydropower Project in eastern Nepal, and provided proof • Indus Dialogue: $0.7M of concept for climate resilient hydropower across the transboundary Kosi Basin. A two-day course on the Decision KEY OUTPUTS Tree Framework, developed with SAWI funding, was delivered in Kathmandu (Sept 2016) for 15 representatives of Nepal • As part of the national dialogue supported by SAWI, national research and modeling institutions. a conference on Water and Environment: Sustainable Development in a Changing Climate, held in Islamabad in • SAWI support also contributed to identifying and prioritizing October 2016, was supported in partnership with ICIMOD, investments in upstream catchments to reduce sediment the Pakistan Ministry of Climate Change, and the Water inflow to the Kali Gandaki Hydropower Project. Catchment Environment Forum (a national dialogue forum that was modeling using RIOS and SWAT models was completed in established as an outcome of the overall Indus Basin consultation with the NEA, WECS, and the DSCWM, and Dialogue process). The conference aimed at sharing best results used to inform a catchment investment plan. practices to provide awareness and facilitate dialogue toward • SAWI supported, in partnership, the drafting of Nepal’s IWRM formulating an action plan to address climate change impacts Policy and Water Resource Act, which could trigger World in the Indus Basin. The event drew high-level government Bank energy sector policy lending ($150M). participation, including the Ministers of Climate Change and • SAWI activities to inform the World Bank’s Power Sector National Food Security & Information, and the respective Reform and Sustainable Hydropower Development secretaries from the Ministries, and the General Director of Project ($20M) are improving the GoN’s water resources the Pakistan Meteorological Service. management and development capacity for sustainable • SAWI supported additional World Bank financing of $35M for hydropower. NEA staff attended the Process of Social Impact the WCAP, aimed at bringing an increased focus on river basin Assessment Course in April 2017. management for transboundary rivers. • Engaging the Private Sector: SAWI supported the Nepal • See Afghanistan country profile above regarding the IF Power Summit 2016, organized by the Independent Power and joint research proposal on climate change impacts in Producers Association of Nepal, which brought together the Indus Basin, and baseline assessments on available investors, developers, policymakers and civil society to realize knowledge on glaciers and climate change in the Indus Basin. the government’s target of 10,000 MW installed in 10 years. LOOKING FORWARD • SAWI is supporting the HUC, hosted by ICIMOD in Capacity Building: A positive development is that Pakistan has Kathmandu, to enhance the partnership of regional research invited Afghan participants to capacity building trainings on institutions for collaborative research. glacier monitoring. SAWI could flexibly respond to a request from Pakistan for capacity building on transboundary and river basin LOOKING FORWARD management, similarly to what was delivered for Afghanistan. Flood Forecasting: SAWI continues to provide support to improve flood and weather forecast information and technologies on the Basin Development: Should Pakistan wish to pursue development transboundary Kosi River Basin. Planned activities under SAWI of the Kabul/Kunar River Basins with Afghanistan, SAWI could and the World Bank’s Bihar Kosi Development Project are under flexibly respond to continue with the technical assistance it discussion by the joint high-powered committee of the GoN and conducted on Kabul/Kunar hydropower development potential in the State Government of Bihar. FY14-FY16.