This report reviews China's water
scarcity situation, assesses the policy and institutional
requirements for addressing it, and recommends key areas for
strengthening and reform. It is a synthesis of ...the main
findings and recommendations from analytical work and case
studies prepared under the World Bank Analytical and
Advisory Assistance (AAA) program entitled 'Addressing
China's Water Scarcity: from Analysis to Action.'
These studies focus on several strategically important
thematic areas for China where additional research was
needed, as identified by the research team and advisory
group based on a review of pressing issues. These areas are
governance, water rights, pricing, ecological compensation,
pollution control, and emergency response. The approach has
been to evaluate Chinese and international experience to
identify policy and institutional factors that have proven
effective in promoting the adoption of water conservation
and pollution reduction technologies. The research was based
on literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative policy
analyses, household surveys, field trips, and case studies
to develop feasible recommendations for a plan of action
based on realities on the ground.
The Republic of Armenia is facing a number of emerging challenges in the water sector. Though overall water resource availability in the country is good, the country's ability to monitor groundwater ...and surface water is deteriorating, enforcement under the existing water permit system is weak, conflicts loom over water use in the agriculturally important Ararat valley, and climate change continues to exert pressure. The performance of the irrigation, hydropower, municipal, industrial, and environment sectors depends on the judicious and coordinated wise use of the countrys water resources. Recognizing the importance of integrated water resources management (IWRM), the government of Armenia has introduced over the last decade major institutional and policy reforms. These reforms provide a strong legislative foundation and framework for ensuring good management and development of water resources in the country. Despite this, further institutional strengthening is needed to fulfill the vision of this legislative framework. This book identifies the challenges in the different water subsectors, reviews the current institutional framework and implementation of relevant water-sector policies, and makes recommendations for the next steps to strengthen water resources management in the country. The book's overall goal is to provide guidance to the government and to donors to help enhance Armenias future water security.
The welfare implications of safe water and sanitation cannot be overstated. The economic gains from provision of improved services to millions of unserved Africans in enormous. The international ...adoption of Millennium Development Goals brought the inadequacies of service provision sharply into focus. With only 58% and 31% enjoying access to water and sanitation services respectively, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only continent that is off-track in achieving the MDGs in 2015. The problem is compounded by the fact that a rigorous and credible baseline did not exist on coverage to improved water and sanitation and resources required to meet the MDGs. This book aims to contribute to this gap by collecting a wealth of primary and secondary information to present the most up-to-date and comprehensive quantitative snapshot of water and sanitation sectors. The book evaluates the challenges to the water and sanitation sectors within the urban and rural areas and deepen our understanding of drivers of coverage expansion in the context of financing, institutional reforms, and efficiency improvements. Finally, the book establishes the investment needs for water and sanitation with a target of meeting the MDGs and compares with the existing financing envelopes, disaggregated by proportions that can be recouped by efficiency gains and net financing gaps. The directions for the future draw on lessons learned from best practices and present the menu of choices available to African countries. There is no recipe book that neatly lays out the possible steps the country should adopt to enhance coverage and quality of service. The challenges differ to a significant extent among African countries and solutions must be tailored to individual national or regional conditions.
This book advances the understanding and integration in operational terms of environmental flows (water allocation) into integrated water resources management (IWRM). Based on an in-depth analysis of ...17 global water policy, plan, and project case studies, it addresses the highly contested complexities of environmentally responsible water resources development, broadens the global perspectives on equitable sharing and sustainable use of water resources, and expands the definitions of benefits sharing in high-risk water resources development. The book fills a major gap in knowledge on IWRM and forms an important contribution to the ongoing discourse on climate change adaptation in the water sector.
Water -- the resource itself as well as
the irrigation and water supply services derived from it is
important for every country. It is fundamental to human
health, wellbeing, productivity, and ...livelihoods. It is also
essential for the long-term sustainability of ecosystems.
Here, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the
most water-scarce region of the world, good water management
matters even more than it does elsewhere. The report
suggests that MENA can meet its water management challenge.
People have a very real need for water for drinking and for
household uses. This domestic use, however, accounts for
less than ten percent of a typical country's water
consumption. Every country in the region has enough water
resources to meet domestic needs, even accounting for the
larger populations expected in the future. And policy
decisions can help improve the way drinking water and
sanitation services are delivered so that people get the
services they need. The bulk of a typical country's
water consumption goes to agriculture. This demand depends
on such factors as the structure of the economy,
people's consumption preferences, agriculture and trade
policies, and how efficiently water is used. These factors
can be influenced by policy choices. Similarly, countries
can protect their environmental quality with policy and
institutional choices. The necessary policy changes are far
from easy. Yet they are essential, and, when coupled with
improvements in accountability to the public, water
resources and services will support communities and promote
economic development and bring benefits to the entire population.
Berg Water Project Haas, Lawrence J M; Mazzei, Leonardo; O'Leary, Donal ...
2010, 07-08-2010, 2010-06-01, 20100101, Volume:
199
eBook, Book
Open access
Communication is central to multistakeholder dialogue and partnerships needed to achieve sustainability and governance reform in water resource management and infrastructure provision. The case study ...identifies current practice, offers advice on capacity building in an operational setting; and draws insights and lessons from experience.
As countries develop, the demand for water increases while water supply becomes less certain and is often not enough to meet demand. In general, pressures from both environment and human activities ...can increase the likelihood of water scarcity. Such pressures include increased socio-economic development and population growth, change in people's diets, competition for available water among different user sectors and growing climate variability. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the existing demand and supply stresses, particularly when more frequent and extreme droughts and floods, as well as rising sea level are becoming more evident. In temperate, sub-temperate regions, less rainfall and longer dry seasons are expected. In tropical areas, rainfall is predicted to be similar or greater in terms of annual average volumes, more intense and severe storms and seasonal droughts (IPCC, 2007). These pressures will test the effectiveness of water resource management systems in providing a consistent and secure water supply for all users, with minimum externalities. This study will assess advances in management practices, institutional and technological innovations for managing water scarcity sustainably under a changing climate. This study of 'sustaining East Asia's water resources through Green Water Defense (GWD) is a sub-study of the 'towards GWD in East Asia' study and is complemented by another sub-study 'green water defense for flood risk management in East Asia' that focuses on flood management in delta regions.
Under pressure from donor agencies and international financial institutions such as the World Bank, some developing countries have experimented with the privatization of water services. This article ...reviews the econometric evidence on the effects of water privatization in developing economies and presents new results using statistical data envelopment analysis and stochastic cost frontier techniques and data from Africa. The analysis fails to show evidence of better performance by private utilities than by state-owned utilities. Among the reasons why water privatization could prove problematic in lower-income economies are the technology of water provision and the nature of the product, transaction costs, and regulatory weaknesses.
In order to face the challenge of disappointing returns on public investment in irrigation and drainage new solutions have emerged. These solutions are based on widely available technology and new ...management and governance options. The main message of Re-engaging in Agricultural Water Management is that the irrigation and drainage sector should not continue to be dealt with as a standalone sector, but should be integrated into a broader perspective, one that embraces the objectives of productivity growth, poverty reduction, natural resources management and environmental protection.
The amount of available water has been
constant for millennia, but over time the planet has added 6
billion people. Water is essential to human life and
enterprise, and the increasing strains on ...available water
resources threaten the mission of institutions dedicated to
economic development. The ultimate goal is to achieve a
sustainable balance between the resources available and the
societal requirement for water. In this evaluation the
Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) examines all the
water-related projects financed by the World Bank between
fiscal 1997 and the end of calendar 2007. Bank activities
related to water are large, growing, and integrated. They
include water resources management, water supply and
sanitation, and activities related to agricultural water,
industrial water, energy generation, and water in the
environment. Through both lending and grants, the World Bank
(the International Development Association and the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or
IBRD) has supported countries in many water-related sectors.
This evaluation examines the full scope of that support over
the period from fiscal 1997 to the end of calendar 2007.
More than 30 background studies prepared for the evaluation
have analyzed Bank lending by thematic area and by activity
type. The evaluation is by definition retrospective, but it
identifies changes that will be necessary going forward,
including those related to strengthening country-level
institutions and increasing financial sustainability.
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