To help transition from reactive to proactive drought management, and in the absence of a cross-sectoral coordinating mechanism around drought investment prioritization, the World Bank has put together a process for developing a Drought Risk and Resilience Assessment (DRRA). The DRRA methodology includes reference to Nature-based Solutions (NBS) as an option to make countries more resilient to droughts. However, how these types of interventions can increase efficiency of World Bank projects, how they can be identified, how impacts can be assessed, and which challenges need to be addressed to implement NBS is not yet addressed sufficiently. This knowledge gap will be addressed by (i) Development of factsheets of existing NBS interventions to reduce drought risks for water services for drink water supply, for agriculture, for energy or other economic sectors that depend on water, and (ii) Developing an inventory of existing tools to identify effective NBS for drought resilience and assess their potential impact.
The water footprint is commonly defined as the total volume of freshwater consumed and polluted at various levels (e.g., national, corporate, or product levels). Water footprints have proven useful in identifying areas of unsustainable water use, and can guide policy decisions aimed at reducing water stress. They are an effective tool for raising awareness among consumers, producers, and policymakers about the environmental impacts of water use. They can also support strategies for redistributing water resources through virtual water trade. This literature review aims to assess the capabilities and challenges associated with the application of water footprint methodologies in different contexts, with a focus on their role in sustainable water management. Future research and development should focus on addressing the identified challenges to enhance the utility of the water footprint concept for consumers, producers and policy makers.
Urban flood management in Laos is typically based on a limited, hard infrastructure approach. With the aim to shift this paradigm towards an integrated approach that enhances climate resilience, the project “Building resilience of urban populations with ecosystem-based solutions in Lao PDR” was approved by the Green Climate Fund Board in November 2019 with a GCF grant of US$10 million. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) serves as the Accredited Entity for the project. Activities are executed by the State of Lao PDR through the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) as well as UNEP. The project is implemented across five years (2020-2025) covering four provincial capitals in the country: Vientiane, Paksan, Savannakhet, and Pakse.
One component of the project involves technical and institutional capacity building to plan, design, implement and maintain integrated urban Ecosystems-based Adaptation (EbA) interventions for the reduction of climate change induced flooding. As a part of Integrated Climate-resilient Flood Management Strategy (ICFMS) development, the project conducts hydrological, hydraulic and climate risk assessments to inform climate change adaptation solutions for risk reduction in Vientiane, Paksan, Savannakhet and Pakse.
A consortium of FutureWater, Mekong Modelling Associates (MMA) and Lao Consulting Group (LCG) was contracted by MONRE to implement the related activities. FutureWater leads and coordinates this assignment and contributes remote sensing analyses with state-of-the-art innovative tools, climate risk assessments, and training activities. To ensure sustainability and effective technology transfer, the modelling and mapping infrastructure and trained staff will be hosted within MONRE and a knowledge hub that is established within the National University of Laos.
To achieve the objectives the project has a technical component and stakeholder engagement component. On the technical side, hydrological models will be updated and validated. Climate change scenarios will be used as inputs for the testing of adaptation strategies within the Limpopo Basin. The adaptation include traditional grey infrastructure and additionally nature based solutions. The benefits analysis of the adaptation measure will cover macro and micro socio-economical benefits.
The results of this study will then be used to inform the development of a first-generation Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Limpopo River Basin (LRB). Through this, the individual basin countries will agree on a set of transboundary development priorities for the basin, which will guide both transboundary and national investments in the future, through a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and National Action Plans (NAPs).
The latest Catch and Culture newsletter (pages 38-41), published by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, features the pilot results of a new methodology for mapping of salinity concentrations (SIM) in the Mekong Delta. The method relies solely on satellite imagery and was developed and applied by FutureWater to support the 2023 MRC State of the Basin Report (SoBR).
Results show that the average area affected by salinity levels of over 4 g/L displayed a clear increasing trend over the last 30 years. In the 2011 – 2022 dry seasons, such severely elevated levels occurred on average for an area of 4,663 km2 (close to 10% of the transboundary Mekong Delta), a figure three times higher than in 1991 – 2000 (1,506 km2). Salinity concentrations of this magnitude are known to negatively impact on agricultural production, human health, and biodiversity. Elevated salinity levels particularly occur along the coastline of the Lower Delta, on the Ca Mau Peninsula, and in the coastal zone of Kien Giang Province.
There is an encouraging agreement between this new methodology and station measurements, which are only available for a limited number of sites in the Mekong Delta. Future applications of the SIM are expected to benefit from incorporating data from new satellite-based sensors and enhanced calibration and validation based on additional field measurements. More information about the project can be found here.
Utrecht University held the 13 Month SOS-Water General Assembly Meeting, which took place on the 17th and 18th of October. This two-day gathering included presentations on how work packages had been progressing and interesting discussions on how to move forward to meet the project’s objectives.
FutureWater actively participated in group discussions, guided by experts from EAWAG, Politecnico di Milano, and Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). The result was the development of a robust plan that will steer our collaborative project in the upcoming weeks and months.
FutureWater is responsible for several tasks under the work package that looks to improve upon existing Earth Observation technologies for monitoring the performance of water systems. New applications will be developed and tested in the context of the SOS-Water case study basins of the Mekong and Jucar rivers.
For more information about the project, visit the official website.
This project has received funding from European Union’s Horizon EUROPE Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement N° 101059264 (SOS-WATER).
The MRC’s State of the Basin Report (SOBR) is a flagship product of the organization and an integral part of the MRC’s strategic planning cycle. Compiled about every five years based on the available data and information, the report assesses conditions and trends within the basin and the impacts that development and use of water and related natural resources are having. The SOBR provides a statement of past trends and current conditions, and seeks to highlight and provide guidance to Member Countries on significant transboundary issues that require cooperation among basin countries to address. The SOBR 2023 is structured around the Mekong River Basin Indicator Framework, consisting of 5 dimensions: Environment, Social, Economic, Climate Change, and Cooperation.
As a longstanding collaborator of MRCS, FutureWater was engaged to support the development of the Economic and Climate Change chapters of the SOBR 2023 and perform the related activities of data analyses, advisory on data gaps and SOBR content, attractive presentation of key results, and communication with Member Countries and specialized MRCS staff to address their comments and suggestions.
The issue of water scarcity is intensifying across the Asia Pacific region, posing significant challenges for sustainable agricultural production and water resources management. The Water Scarcity Program (WSP), designed by FAO-RAP and partners, aims to bring agricultural water use within sustainable limits and prepare the sector for a productive future with less water. The program aims to assess the ongoing issue of water scarcity in the region, evaluate potential management options, and assist partner countries to implement adaptive management in the agriculture water sector using innovative tools and approaches.
As part of the WSP, FutureWater will design and deliver a two-phase water accounting training program in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, respectively. The first phase of the training will primarily focus on introducing and better understanding the concept of water accounting, its components and approaches. Participants will also work with tools such as REWAS and Follow the Water (developed by FutureWater in collaboration with FAO) to conduct water accounting in agricultural systems at different scales. Through the use of these tools, participants will be able to estimate real water savings at system and basin scale, and also analyze the impact of different irrigation schemes on the overall water availability in the system. The second phase will consist of participants working on the selected basin in each country to develop a detailed water account. Given the data availability and accessibility issues in the region, the participants will learn how to access, process and analyse remotely sensed datasets using Google Earth Engine.
In addition to the trainings, FutureWater will also provide technical inputs for the regional WSP events on water scarcity and highlight the technical challenges of implemeting water accounting and allocation in south-east Asia for the WSP High Level Technical Meeting to be held in June 2024.
The objective of the study is to develop a high-level climate change assessment for Georgia with a focus on water resources and the agricultural sector. The work includes an assessment of climate-related impacts on water resources, identification of priorities at a national level, and preparation of a list of climate investment priorities based on climate analytics and appropriate tools and models and prior work done in the region. The output of the study will contribute to the proposed roadmap for the CAREC Water Pillar and will feed into the ongoing formulation of the Country Partnership Strategies for Georgia. The acquired results will inform follow-up work on the CAREC Water Pillar and provide input to future ADB programming and investment in the agriculture, natural resources, and rural development (ANR) sector.
The project consists of two major outputs:
- Output 1: Estimation of future water resources for Georgia up to 2050
A quantitative and qualitative assessment will be undertaken using a combination of primary and secondary data and analytics. The combination of data sources will define the current state of water resources and future water demands, considering population growth and changes in sectoral demand. - Output 2: Identification of opportunities for water resources development
Opportunities for water resources development will be identified based on output 1, stakeholder consultations, the mapping of activities of other development partners, and desk-based literature review.
The Kyrgyz Republic is one of the countries in Central Asia most vulnerable to land degradation and climate change impacts. Climate-related disasters and land degradation due to unsustainable land use practices already affect the rural and urban population, which depends on natural resources and critical infrastructure. The World Bank has just released a report outlining the main results of the study based on the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) conducted in the Naryn River Basin, Kyrgyz Republic. This assessment identifies degraded forest and pasture areas, considers the potential correlation between land degradation and sedimentation in hydropower reservoirs, and proposes feasible and effective landscape restoration measures for the Naryn River Basin. The study also presents several recommendations to fast-track the implementation of proposed interventions for the Naryn River Basin and scale up to other degraded areas throughout the country.
The report relies on FutureWater’s remote sensing and GIS services, which highlighted degraded areas of land across the Kyrgyz Republic and reveal where restoration interventions are possible. The identification of highly degraded areas is achieved from an innovative approach using satellite remote sensing technologies, combined with a connectivity analysis to determine sediment sourcing hotspots using the sediment delivery module of the InVEST ecosystem services model.
More information about the project can be found here and the report can be dowloaded from the World Bank website.
