Water Papers

180 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16997

Water Papers are produced by the Water Global Practice, taking up the work of the predecessor Water Unit, Transport, Water and ICT Department, Sustainable Development Vice Presidency.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 15

Advancing Knowledge of the Water-Energy Nexus in the GCC Countries

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Jägerskog, Anders ; Barghouti, Shawki

Climate change and increasing population pressure make it increasingly urgent to find ways to improve the management of the water-energy nexus. The desalination, pumping, distribution, and treatment of water use significant energy resources. The extraction and production of energy consume substantial amounts of water resources. In addition, negative effects on the environment are often the consequences of the management of the water and energy sectors. The report highlights the prospects for addressing these and other challenges at the water-energy nexus. It does this by drawing, in part, on some of the most important breakthroughs in the nexus that have come from the region.
Water in Circular Economy and Resilience: The Case of North Gaza

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-02) World Bank

This case study is part of a series prepared by the World Bank’s Water Global Practice to highlight existing experiences in the water sector. The purpose of the series is to showcase one or more of the elements that can contribute toward a Water in Circular Economy and Resilience (WICER) system. This case focuses on the experience of North Gaza.
Water Scarcity in Morocco: Analysis of Key Water Challenges

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Taheripour, Farzad ; Tyner, Wallace E. ; Haqiqi, Iman ; Sajedinia, Ehsanreza

Morocco is expected to be faced with a major water shortfall prompted by either expansion in demand for water or reduction in precipitation induced by climate change. This paper examines the economywide impacts of these factors for Morocco. It uses a computable general equilibrium model augmented with submodules that trace consumption of water by uses and land allocation across sectors including crops, livestock, and forestry. Results show that water scarcity and changes in crop yields induced by climate change could reduce the GDP of Morocco up to 6.7 billion US dollars per year at 2016 constant prices and eliminate many job opportunities, in particular in the rural areas of this country. Only a portion of these negative impacts can be removed with improvements in water use efficiency. The factors mentioned above will reduce productivity of Morocco’s cropland and have the potential to reduce irrigated areas. Due to these changes, production of crops and food products are expected to fall, with increases in crop prices by up to 14.3 percent, assuming other factors being equal. Investment in water use efficiency practices that save water, in particular in agricultural activities, and shifting toward more valuable and less water intensive crops can help to partially mitigate these adverse impacts.
The Role of Desalination in an Increasingly Water-Scarce World

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03) World Bank

The cost of desalination has been plummeting over the years. As a result, desalination has become a viable option for certain strategic uses. Today, over 20,000 desalination plants in more than 150 countries supply about 300 million people with freshwater every day. Initially a niche product for energy rich and water scarce cities, particularly in the Middle East, the continued decrease in cost and environmental viability of desalination has the potential to significantly expand its use - particularly for rapidly growing water scarce coastal cities. Desalination can be seen as one option in a portfolio water supply sources, including traditional surface water and groundwater sources as well as wastewater reuse, to meet growing water demand gap. Although still relatively expensive, desalination offers the potential to enhance system reliability. As renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar expand, and as advances in concentrate management techniques make discharges from desalination plants much cheaper and safer, the prospect of producing freshwater from the sea without increasing greenhouse gases and without significant damages to the local environment become more promising.
Water Supply in a War Zone: A Preliminary Analysis of Two Urban Water Tanker Supply Systems in the Republic of Yemen

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-07) Abu-Lohom, Naif Mohammed ; Konishi, Yasuo ; Mumssen, Yogita ; Zabara, Bilkis ; Moore, Scott Michael

A combination of poverty, water scarcity, armed conflict, and warfare has produced serious challenges for both water supply and sanitation in Yemen. Although the tanker truck system plays a critical role in filling this gap, it raises serious questions with respect to affordability, health, environment, and water resources management. Because active conflict makes parts of the country remain inaccessible, little recent data are available on the state of the country’s water supply and sanitation systems. This discussion paper presents assessments of basic features of urban water supply systems in Sana’a and Aden, a detailed profile of the tanker truck service structure, including supply chain mapping, value chain analysis, and an assessment of changes to the sector since the war began. It also covers institutional support structure for the water sector, well-to-consumer supply chain, water quality, well operations, tanker trucks water delivery services, and household water demand. The analysis culminates in recommendations of interventions urgently needed to improve service delivery in Yemen’s two largest cities.
Securing Potable Water Supply under Extreme Scarcity: Lessons and Perspectives from the Republic of Cyprus

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-06) Marin, Philippe ; Charalambous, Bambos ; Davy, Thierry

Cyprus is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Starting in 1960, massive dam development was carried out under the motto “not a drop of water lost to the sea.” This supply-side policy proved its limit after two major droughts hit the island in 1997-2000 and 2008-09. This pushed for the massive development of seawater desalination and wastewater reuse through public-private partnership schemes. As of 2018, the Republic of Cyprus has successfully achieved potable water security—a remarkable achievement for one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Despite these worthy successes, Cyprus still faces several important remaining challenges to move toward fully sustainable water management: (i) focusing on demand management, (ii) modernizing the financial and institutional framework, (iii) complying with the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, and (iv) developing a sustainable strategy for irrigated agriculture.
The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the Middle East and North Africa: Scenarios for a Sustainable Future

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-06) Borgomeo, Edoardo ; Jagerskog, Anders ; Talbi, Amal ; Wijnen, Marcus ; Hejazi, Mohamad ; Miralles-Wilhelm, Fernando

Water, energy, and agriculture have been conventionally dealt with separately in investment planning. For each of these sectors, regulatory frameworks, organizations, and infrastructures have been put in place to address sector-specific challenges and demands. As the Middle East and North Africa works towards building a more sustainable future, a nexus approach that considers the risks and synergies among these sectors is needed. To demonstrate the added value of a nexus approach, this report applies scenario analysis and integrated assessment modelling of the water-energy-food nexus to the Middle East and North Africa. The analysis finds that water scarcity increases in all countries in the region over the coming decades, mostly due to growing demands. More importantly, the analysis finds that many countries in the region could run out of fossil groundwater by 2050 unless measures to curb unsustainable abstraction are implemented. The impacts of growing scarcity on agriculture are significant, with production projected to drop by 60 by 2050 in some countries. On the upside, reducing the dependence of the agricultural and energy sectors on water and transitioning to renewable energies can reduce water scarcity, at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This report is targeted to policy makers, the academic community, and a wider global audience interested in exploring the interactions between water, agriculture, and energy.
Wastewater: From Waste to Resource - The Case of New Cairo, Egypt

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-03) World Bank

A set of case studies was prepared as part of the World Bank's Water Global Practice initiative "Wastewater. Shifting paradigms: from waste to resource" to document existing experiences in the water sector on the topic. The case studies highlight innovative financing and contractual arrangements, innovative regulations and legislation and innovative project designs that promote integrated planning, resource recovery and that enhance the financial and environmental sustainability of wastewater treatment plants. This case study documents New Cairo, Egypt.
Managing Urban Water Scarcity in Morocco

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-11) World Bank Group

Important challenges such as population growth, urbanization, economic expansion and climate changeare looming over urban water security in Morocco. While urban water demand is expected to rise by 60 percent to 100 percent in most large cities by 2050, climate projections suggest reduced precipitation and a sharp decline in water resources availability. Morocco is expected to enter a situation of extreme water stress in less than 25 years. The Water Law 36-15 recognizes these risks and provides the relevant policies, institutions, regulations, mechanisms and procedures for integrated water resources management and created the necessary tools for its implementation. The Law emphasizes the need for integrated, decentralized, participative management of water, and recognizes the importance of developing planning mechanisms to address water scarcity. Institutions have been set up at all levels of government and rules are in place to involve civil society and the private sector in water management.
Frontier Agriculture for Improving Refugee Livelihoods: Unleashing Climate-Smart and Water-Saving Agriculture Technologies in MENA

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-09-19) Verner, Dorte ; Vellani, Saleema ; Klausen, Anne-Lise ; Tebaldi, Edinaldo

Many refugee and host populations are food insecure and poor. In Syria, the UNICEF screened 2.3 million children and pregnant and lactating women for acute malnutrition. In Jordan, approximately half of the refugee households have reported reducing the quantity and quality of food and skipping meals. In Lebanon, only 7 percent of refugees are living with acceptable levels of food security. This report shows that frontier agriculture, which comprises climate-smart and water saving agriculture technologies, such as hydroponics, can contribute to improve well-being, including nutritional status for farmers and groups of people that are less integrated into the labor market. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), this includes women, youth, and those who are forcibly displaced. Frontier agriculture can leverage scarce resources, such as water and arable land, and promote inclusive economic activities that increase access to nutritious food, improve livelihoods, create jobs, promote entrepreneurship, enhance skills, and build social cohesion. It can also assist with building communities and help recover from the loss of assets and from trauma of fleeing from conflicts. There is an urgency to engage with and support refugee livelihoods. Previous experiences suggest that small-scale hydroponic projects targeting vulnerable populations can be implemented rather quickly and produce meaningful results within a short timeframe.