Water Papers
183 items available
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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.
Items in this collection
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Publication
Water in Circular Economy and Resilience
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-09-15)Rethinking urban water through the circular economy and resilience lenses offers an opportunity to transform the urban water sector and deliver water supply and sanitation services in a more sustainable, inclusive, efficient, and resilient way. Circular Economy principles have emerged as a response to the current unsustainable linear model of "take, make, consume, and waste." In a circular economy, the full value of water – as a service, an input to processes, a source of energy and a carrier of nutrients and other materials – is recognized and captured. This report presents the Water in Circular Economy and Resilience (WICER) Framework together with global case studies that show the benefits of becoming circular and resilient. It describes the key actions needed to achieve three main outcomes: 1) deliver resilient and inclusive services, 2) design out waste and pollution, and 3) preserve and regenerate natural systems. The report sets out to demystify circular economy by showing that both high-income and low-income countries can benefit from it. -
Publication
Joining Forces to Combat Protracted Crises: Humanitarian and Development Support for Water and Sanitation Providers in the Middle East and North Africa
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-02-05)Protracted crises in urban contexts of the Middle East and North Africa region present a growing challenge for water supply and sanitation (WSS) service providers and, in turn, the governments and international organizations that support them. The protracted nature of crisis in countries characterized by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) transcends conventional notions of (pre-, during, and post-) crisis management. This report examines five pernicious problems identified by WSS service providers operating in protracted crisis in the Middle East and North Africa region. The five problems are: (1) inadequately governed water resources management; (2) aggressive competition from alternative providers (tanker trucks), undermining network services; (3) paralysis of high-tech wastewater treatment plants; (4) escalating energy costs of off-grid generation; and (5) the cashflow crunch as service provider costs jump and revenues fall. The pernicious problems are shown to stem from precrisis vulnerabilities that have their origins in the rapid period of urbanization and infrastructure expansion across the Middle East and North Africa region. Humanitarian and development actors should strengthen their partnerships in both anticipating and responding to protracted crises. Strengthening humanitarian-development partnerships to support WSS service providers in these ways will address key aspects of precrisis resilience building and also of resilience (re)building in protracted crisis. -
Publication
Dividing the Water, Sharing the Benefits: Lessons from Rural-to-Urban Water Reallocation
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-06)Rural regions are often seen as key sources of urban water supply, creating pressure for reallocation and potential hotspots of competition for water between cities and agriculture. How effective and equitable is reallocation from rural to urban regions, and what have we learned from the global experience? This synthesis report examines the drivers, processes, politics, and outcomes of reallocation based on a review of the literature and insights from four in-depth case studies where governments have reallocated relatively large volumes of water from rural to urban regions: Melbourne, Australia; Mokopane, South Africa; Monterrey, Mexico; and São Paulo, Brazil. The findings suggest that water reallocation can play an important role in regional development. However, reallocation projects have also been controversial because of distributional conflicts regarding who wins and loses. The concept of benefit sharing, long applied to transboundary river basin management, offers a framework for designing effective and equitable reallocation processes, shifting the focus from dividing the water to sharing the benefits among rural and urban regions. The report identifies seven key lessons for realizing the potential of reallocation and limiting the risks. -
Publication
From Waste to Resource - Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper VI. Market Potential and Business Models for Resource Recovery Products
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019)This background paper is part of the supporting material for the report “From Waste to Resource: Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” a product of the “Wastewater: from waste to resource,” an initiative of the World Bank Water Global Practice. -
Publication
From Waste to Resource - Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper IV. Policy, Regulatory, and Institutional Incentives for the Development of Resource Recovery Projects in Wastewater
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019)This background paper is part of the supporting material for the report “From Waste to Resource: Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” a product of the “Wastewater: from waste to resource,” an initiative of the World Bank Water Global Practice. -
Publication
From Waste to Resource - Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper III. The Role of Modeling in Decision Making in the Basin Approach
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019)This background paper is part of the supporting material for the report “From Waste to Resource: Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” a product of the “Wastewater: from waste to resource,” an initiative of the World Bank Water Global Practice. -
Publication
From Waste to Resource - Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper II. Showcasing the River Basin Planning Process through a Concrete Example - The Río Bogotá Cleanup Project
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019)This background paper is part of the supporting material for the report “From Waste to Resource: Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” a product of the “Wastewater: from waste to resource,” an initiative of the World Bank Water Global Practice. -
Publication
From Waste to Resource - Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper V. Financial Incentives for the Development of Resource Recovery Projects in Wastewater
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019)This background paper is part of the supporting material for the report “From Waste to Resource: Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” a product of the “Wastewater: from waste to resource,” an initiative of the World Bank Water Global Practice. -
Publication
From Waste to Resource - Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper I. Efficient and Effective Management of Water Resource Recovery Facilities
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019)This background paper is part of the supporting material for the report “From Waste to Resource: Shifting Paradigms for Smarter Wastewater Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” a product of the “Wastewater: from waste to resource,” an initiative of the World Bank Water Global Practice. -
Publication
Wastewater: From Waste to Resource - The Case of San Luis Potosí, Mexico
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-03)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 San Luis Potosí, Mexico.