Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes
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Publication
Knowledge Exchanges on Integrated Urban Water Management Briefing Note 1—January 2019
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-01)This note describes the outcomes of a June 2018 knowledge exchange visit to study urban water management and urban renewal experiences in Brazil. Participants included 23 country representatives and 9 World Bank staff from Ethiopia, Ghana, and Indonesia who visited the two Brazilian cities of São Paulo and Teresina. São Paulo is a mega-city that has addressed serious urban water issues—from water scarcity and flooding to informal settlements and water supply, sanitation, and pollution—over the past couple decades. Teresina, meanwhile, is a medium-sized town that has integrated several sectors in the urban area at project level. Both cities clearly showed how integration beyond traditional borders between sectors and active stakeholder involvement can lead to significant additional benefits for urban inhabitants. Participants learned from these implementation experiences and took home clear guidance and next steps to be incorporated through ongoing World Bank projects. -
Publication
Reducing Marine and Coastal Pollution
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03)The West African coastline is home to major industries, mining activities, peri-urban and agro-industry, and tourism, as well as urban and seaside residences, all of which generate waste and cause pollution. Many areas along the coast also lack adequate wastewater and solid waste management systems. As a result, large volumes of untreated wastewater and solid waste are dumped into the open, polluting the land and water. Water quality studies can help policy makers set targets and baselines and develop pollution reduction plans at the local, national, and regional levels. Such studies generally focus on pollution from sewage/wastewater, nutrients, and marine litter; they may also include other pollutants, such as oil (spills from ships and offshore oil exploration and production), chemicals, and heavy metals. Reducing the generation of plastic debris requires collect¬ing data on the origin, volumes, and types of plastic litter, so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce the use of, reuse, or recycle plastic products. -
Publication
Beyond the River: A Practitioner Perspective
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-01)Building real cooperation on transboundary waters is always a lengthy and complex journey. Embracing cooperation is no simple task for a nation state, not least because of the perceived costs of the erosion of sovereignty, however small that erosion might be. While there are many examples of where cooperation is non-existent or weak, there are also examples of robust cooperation. This essay examines these questions through a practitioner’s lens to draw a few lessons from experience on why countries cooperate and how cooperation can be achieved. -
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Effective Cooperation on Transboundary Waters: A Practical Perspective
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-01)Building effective cooperation on transboundary waters is always a lengthy and complex journey. Embracing cooperation is no simple task for a nation state, not least because of the perceived costs of the erosion of sovereignty, however small that erosion might be. While there are many examples of where cooperation is non-existent or weak, there are also examples – across countries and across time – of effective cooperation. This essay examines these issues through a practitioner’s lens to draw a few lessons from experience on why countries cooperate and how cooperation can be achieved. -
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Promoting Green Growth through Water Resources Management: The Case of Republic of Korea
( 2016-01-01)Water security and water quality affect numerous economic sectors and areas: agriculture, energy, disaster management, and others. Countries need balanced and integrated approaches that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. Threats related to climate change have added to the complexity, and to the importance, of water resource management. Korea’s integrated water resources management approach since the 1990s reflects the country’s “green” climate-resilient development path. The Korean Green Growth Trust Fund’s (KGGTF) 3rd “Knowledge Note”, Promoting Green Growth through Water Resources Management: the Case of Republic of Korea, outlines key responses to Korea’s water resource challenges. The report highlights the Korean Government’s “Four Major River Restoration Project (4MRRP)”, a multi-purpose, green-growth infrastructure initiative. Involving five ministries and 78 local authorities in a comprehensive and integrated approach, the Note showcases lessons from 4MRRP for other countries to learn from Korea’s experience overcoming institutional, legislative, governance, technical and financial hurdles. -
Publication
Protecting the Region’s Natural Resources
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-11)The West African coastal zone hosts critical natural resources and habitats that provide important ecosystem services. The area’s natural resources play vital roles in the functioning of the shoreline, providing natural protection against erosion, pollution, sea level rise, and extreme weather events. Coastal and marine ecosystems, including cold-water coral reefs, sea¬grass meadows, mangrove forests, and coastal wetlands and lagoons, also provide indispensable ecosystem services for the fisheries sector, as spawning and nursery areas for fish. The destruction and degradation of coastal natural resources has trans-boundary impacts. Joint efforts are therefore needed to develop win-win solutions. Regional collaboration and integrated decision making on the part of West African coastal countries is paramount if long-term, viable solutions are to be identified and implemented. -
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Building Climate Resilience
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)Climate change is a critical issue facing the countries of the Nile basin. While individual weather events are difficult to attribute to climate change, their sum is already having adverse effects on socioeconomic conditions across the region. While climate change was not an overt focus of the Nile basin initiative’s (NBI’s) mandate when it was launched in 1999, it has emerged as a key challenge for countries of the Nile to take seriously. Understanding variability in river flows is one of the first steps in understanding climate change impacts and planning how to respond to them. Developing this understanding and getting it into use has been at the heart of the NBI’s technical work. -
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Powering the Nile Basin
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)The Nile countries are endowed with substantial energy resources. Yet, these have not been fully tapped and several Nile countries have low levels of access to electricity. This note showcases the achievements made at the regional level to address this issue through cooperative projects of regional significance. These include projects that extend and link transmission lines to achieve interconnections, and ones that promote responsible development and generation of hydropower. The Nile basin initiative (NBI) has played a catalytic role in facilitating these projects, reducing power poverty, and increasing national energy security. -
Publication
Highlights of 15 Years of Nile Cooperation
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05-01)In 1999, nine Nile basin countries came together in a remarkable partnership. They formed the Nile basin initiative as a platform for joint working to better understand and utilize the common Nile resource, to harness the benefits for equitable and sustainable regional economic development. This note highlights the key achievements of this historic endeavor. -
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Changing Lives in the Nile Basin
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)A remarkable program of cooperation in the Nile basin is bringing change to millions of people living in poverty. By promoting trust and cooperation between the 10 Nile countries, the Nile basin initiative (NBI) has enabled these countries to advance a shared vision for development of the region based on sustainable management and equitable use of the Nile water resources. Countries have come together to plan and implement development projects that are proving to be transformative in terms of food, water, and energy security - as well as improving the resilience of some of the poorest in society. Once implemented, these projects promise to benefit nearly 30 million people.