Water Papers

2021-03-18, World Bank

There are close to four hundred water utilities in Indonesia with varied performance and capacity but only around half are considered well performing. Inefficient operations has been identified as one of the key issues hampering performance and reducing utilities’ capacity to provide reliable water supply services. If not addressed, water utilities’ inefficiency could hamper government efforts to achieve development targets. High rates of nonrevenue water (NRW) pose a major challenge to the operational efficiency of many of Indonesia’s water utilities. 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 interventions on the utility’s supply side to increase efficiency and minimize waste.

2018-04-05, World Bank

Water scarce cities face unprecedented challenges: rapid urbanization and growth have put pressure on dwindling resources, and cities are further stressed by climate change and conflict shocks. Most operate under unsustainable water management practices, based on linear, engineering-based approaches, yet government planners and others are unaware how this situation could lead to major water shortages. This report, using information from the Water Scarce Cities Initiative, attempts to compile innovative approaches—based on cities' successful responses to water scarcity—to inspire a new kind of urban water security. The Water Scarce Cities report intends to magnify the successes of those urban areas and to stimulate knowledge exchange between global cities, their policy makers and, most important, the practitioners. It first seeks to shift predominant, outdated, mostly linear, and siloed thought patterns that sometimes lead to disjointed and costly investment decisions without necessarily providing protection against depleting resources or an increasingly adversarial climate. It then demystifies innovative urban water practices, including managing conventional resources such as aquifers more effectively, tapping new and nonconventional resources such as wastewater, con-trolling demand, or engaging differently (such as showing how the practices were done and what can be learned from them). The goal is to engage meaningfully with diverse water scarce cities to facilitate concrete engagement, product development, and technical assistance.

2015-06-26, World Bank

This paper's objective is to strengthen the capacity of various institutions in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation for sustainable water resources management, and to develop training tools for innovative techniques for further dissemination to state agencies and other stakeholders.

2012-11, Rodriguez, Diego J., van den Berg, Caroline, McMahon, Amanda

This paper provides background information for development practitioners in the water and other infrastructure sectors. It outlines the major challenges related to financing the gap in global water infrastructure, including those systems that provide urban and rural water supply, and sanitation and irrigation services. Water infrastructure finance includes costs for capital works as well as the operations and maintenance costs that motivate sustainable service delivery. Section one introduces the linkages between water infrastructure and growing global challenges, including food and energy security as well as climate change. Section two describes investment needs in the sector and details various traditional funding sources. Section three proposes a five step reform cycle for making better use of limited funding in the sector. Tools for making these improvements are outlined in section four. The paper concludes with section five, a summary of the challenges and recommendations for the way forward.

2021-03-17, World Bank

Chennai, a city on the southeastern coast of India and the state capital of Tamil Nadu, has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Chennai is the automotive hub for India and is also home to several other industries ranging from petrochemicals to hardware manufacturing, textiles, and apparel. Because of urbanization and economic growth, Chennai’s population has increased more than fifty percent over the past two decades. The city’s rapid growth has created several water challenges. 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 study focuses on the experience of Chennai in India.

2017-11, Marin, Philippe, Muzenda, Dambudzo, Andreasyan, Andranik

This report analyzes four water public private partnerships (PPPs) undertaken in Armenia between 2000 and 2016 and the start of a national water lease contract that began in January 2017. It provides an overview of each of the four first generation PPPs. It explains the steps taken by the Government of Armenia to create an enabling environment for the PPPs, including the decision-making process. The report also provides comparable details on how each PPP contract was designed and implemented, including the following parameters: tendering, contract terms, capital investment program, financing, tariffs. The results obtained for each PPP are included, particularly operational results (continuity of water supply, electricity use, non-revenue water, etc.) and financial results (billing, revenues, subsidies, etc.). This analysis is provided in a succinct way, with main messages and lessons learned provided for each PPP contract and for the entirety of the PPP experience over the first 16 years. The report also discusses the new national lease contract, which builds directly on the experience of the first set of water PPPs. It concludes by reflecting on some key issues to be addressed as the new lease contract begins: the timely implementation of capital expenditure; provision of services to unserved communities; and expansion of wastewater collection and treatment.

2014-05, Rodriguez, Diego, Suardi, Mario, Ham, Marcel, Mimmi, Luisa, Goksu, Amanda

Given the broad array of issues and the complexity faced by the water sector as a whole (from irrigation to flood protection, to water conservation and hydropower), there is great demand for future exploring the potential of RBF and tackling the questions still unanswered about many of its operational dimensions. This document takes a closer look at some of the practical aspects of implementing various RBF water schemes. Chapter 2 provides an analytical framework to explore if and when RBF can be a viable option, shedding light on some key factors and preconditions that are necessary for RBF to work--with the understanding that it can be used either as an alternative or a complement to a more traditional input-based funding scheme. Chapter 3 then revisits the concepts discussed in the analytical framework through the analysis of various case studies of RBF approaches in different water-related areas. Some of the case studies are based on actual projects already implemented or ongoing, while others are an illustrative elaboration, given the lack of practical cases to use as sources. Chapter 4 presents some conclusions and lessons learned. The key challenges that are likely to be encountered in designing an RBF scheme deal with: the clarity and level of certainty of the relationships from input to output to outcomes (causal links); the ease and availability of measurable indicators; and, consequently, the optimal determination of the necessary incentive(s) to align the goals of the principal with the agents' deliverables. Appendix A presents a glossary of RBF concepts and acronyms. Appendix B presents specific results and indicators which may be relevant for different sectors.

2018-12, World Bank

This review of wastewater management in Danube region under EU water policies shows that, despite several challenges, the UWWTD has indeed delivered results for the people and environment in Danube region. The share of wastewater treated according to the UWWTD requirements is showing a major improvement since 2004, demonstrating impact of massive investment efforts undertaken, and resulting in significant emission reduction in the recent past. This has resulted in a noticeable water quality improvement over the last 20 years for both organic pollutants and nutrients. At the same time, the review points out to several challenges. Implementation capacity is often neglected and insufficiently prepared. The necessary tariff increases, a consequence of investment in new infrastructure and related O&M cost increases, trigger affordability issues for the bottom 40 percent of population. A lack of the necessary sectoral institutional reforms, has resulted in lower than planned absorption of available funds and delays in UWWTD compliance. These challenges also represent opportunities in the implementation of the current Directive within and beyond the Member States, and its potential review. The current implementation of the Directive could be made more efficient using sound economic appraisal to prioritize investments according to their cost-effectiveness while maintaining public health and environmental benefits and achievement of WFD objectives.

2015-06-30, Kalra, Nidhi, Groves, David G., Bonzanigo, Laura, Molina Perez, Edmundo, Ramos, Cayo, Rodriguez Cabanillas, Ivan

This study draws upon state-of-the-art methods for decision making under deep uncertainty (DMU) to give SEDAPAL and decision makers in Lima answers to pressing questions. It draws upon several methodologies including Robust Decision Making, Decision Scaling, and Adaptive Pathways, to prioritize the investments in SEDAPAL’s Master Plan. Together these methods help define an investment strategy that is robust, ensuring water reliability across as wide a range of future conditions as possible while also being economically efficient.

2013-06, Scheierling, Susanne M., Lyon, Kimberly N.

This report presents insights from the FY11 review of the World Bank s water portfolio. The report includes a methodological section followed by reviews of four broad areas: the water related commitments managed by the World Bank Group (WBG) for FY011; the water-related commitments of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and of the International Development Association (IDA) for FY11; water-related projects approved in FY11; and analytic and advisory activities (AAA), in particular economic and sector work (ESW) and technical assistance (TA), delivered in FY11. The focus of the report is on the new IBRD and IDA commitments in FY11, which are analyzed not only based on data provided in the World Bank s project database but also with data generated by reviewing the Project Appraisal Documents (PADs) using a newly developed questionnaire. Some of the key findings of the FY11 review are the following: Water-related IBRD and IDA commitments comprised about 95% of the overall WBG managed commitments for water. From FY02 to FY11 they grew more than five-fold, from US$1.3 billion to US$7.4 billion largely driven by increased commitments for water supply and sanitation. In FY11 a total of 105 water-related IBRD and IDA projects were approved. Commitments by region were largest for the East Asia and Pacific Region (EAP) and the South Asia Region (SAR) with 30% and 29%, respectively. With regard to the number of projects, Africa was by far the leading Region with 33 projects. Of the 105 water-related projects, only 22% were mapped to the Water Sector Board (WAT) and most of these were water supply and sanitation projects.