Water Resources Management in Yemen - World...

Water Resources Management in Yemen and the Role of the World Bank:

The perspective of the World Bank from Washington

Sana’aOctober 1999

Our knowledge base• Document reviews• Discussions with Bank staff in Washington and Sanaa• Discussions with MAI, NWSA, NWRA in Sana’a• Field visits:

Field visits in Sana’a

to see existing problems...to see existing problems.......and actions to address them....and actions to address them

... in Zabid

where we saw real progress...where we saw real progress... ... and real challenges... and real challenges

... in the Tehama

looking at changes in spate irrigation....looking at changes in spate irrigation....... and ... and irrigationirrigation

with with groundwatergroundwater

... in Taizlearning of the desperate needs of the city...learning of the desperate needs of the city...

...meeting and discussing with the ...meeting and discussing with the sheikhsheikh and and villagers in villagers in HabirHabir

... in Wadi Tuban

Looking at dune protection...Looking at dune protection...

... and experiments with new ... and experiments with new irrigation technologyirrigation technology

And eating and talking a lot with Anwer and Dr. Assad

Summary of how we think the Bank has done water in Yemen

Challenges in such processes (everywhere):

Like art, so easy to criticize, so difficult to do...

Changes take place over decades and thus require a game plan, patience and persistence


Context matters enormously

EnvironmentMarket

economy

Participation

Long tradition but just starting in modern water management

inYemen

Economic adjustment process

very recentIncipient in Yemen

Water management reform in Yemen will require great leadership and persistence


Highlights:• Major change in last 5 years --much more strategic• Best practice in integrating water into Bank’s Country

Assistance Strategy• Best practice (in the Bank) in analytic work on water

resources (Water Strategy, Decentralized Management Study...)

• Excellent outreach to put these items on the agenda in Yemen (EDI workshops etc.)

• Using projects to address the difficult realities (Taiz, Sanaa)


Highlights:• Donors (and the Bank)

have done particularly well where there is Yemeni leadership and agenda

As stated by Minister Sofan this morning, the great and urgent challenge is translating ideas into practice

Challenges for the Bank:• Limited success in translating water resource ideas into

policies and laws• Insufficient clarity on how (in the real world of Yemen) to

move from idea to reality • Packing too much into water resource projects -- losing

sights of the woods for the treestoo many objectives in projectscomplex implementation arrangements

How has the Bank helped?

(a) Water Resources

Management

ImplemImplem--entationentation

Agenda/Agenda/PolicyPolicy

Comprehensive

Institutions

Water as Economic Good

GYGY

GYGY

YY

YRYR

RR

RR


(b) Irrigation



Institutions


YY

YY RR

YRYR


(c) Water Supply and Sanitation



Institutions


GG YRYR

GG YRYR

Questions to the working groups (and then individuals via the questionnaire):

How has the Bank helped and how can we do better?

Relevance:#1: Are we doing the right things?

Effectiveness:#2: Are we using the right tools?#3: Do we make good use of partnerships?#4: Do we have the right people and organization to help?#5: Are we using the Bank’s access outside of the water sector?#6: Are we dealing effectively with the political economy of

reform?

Some flavor of the sort of things we’d like you to address:

Questions to the working group this afternoon:How has the Bank helped and how can we do better?



reform?

Q1: Right things?Q1: Right things?

Water - 5 projects;$118 m

Non-water- 17 projects ($522)

``

Are we doing enough on water in Yemen?

•Current level (15%) is about the same as Bank-wide

•Deliberate policy to get understanding before lending

Q#1: Are we doing the right things?(a) Is the mix of Bank sectoral investments about right?

05

101520253035404550

DonorYemenIDA

Sout

hern

G

over

nora

tes

Lan

d an

d W

ater

Con

serv

atio

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Flo

od E

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San

a’s W

ater

Su

pply

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anit

atio

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Tai

z W

ater

Sup

ply

Pilo

t Pr

ojec

t

Project Financing

Tota

l Pro

ject

Cos

t (U.

S. $

Mill

ion)

FY99 World Bank Water Portfolio in Yemen

Note Does Not Include the old and nearly closed Note Does Not Include the old and nearly closed Tarim Tarim and Al and Al Mukalla Mukalla UWSS ProjectsUWSS Projects

Q1: Are we doing the right things?(c) Are we focussing on the right issues?

Comprehensive principle:are we doing enough to help forge cooperation across authorities (e.g. NWRA and NWSA?)Do our water supply and irrigation projects pay enough attention to water resources management?Are we doing enough on protecting catchments?


Institutional principles:are we pushing enough (or too hard) on private sector participation in urban water supply?are we pushing enough (or too hard) on user participation in irrigation and water resources management?have we done enough to get the right laws in place for water management?


Economic issues:are we pushing hard enough on ensuring that allocation of water is more efficient and flexible (water rights, cost recovery...)?Are we doing enough to ensure that the poor are served?

Q1: Are we doing the right things?(e) Is our portfolio too risky or not risky enough?

0

50

100

Yemen MENA Bank

% of FY94-98 completed projects with OED "unsatisfactoryoutcomes"

IrrigationWater/san

Note: There were 5 I&D and 1 UWSS Projects in YemenNote: There were 5 I&D and 1 UWSS Projects in Yemen


0

10

20

30

40

Yemen MENA Bank

Irrig

atio

n

Wat

er/s

an

% of FY99 Active "Problem Projects"

IrrigationWater/san

Note there are 4 active WSS and 2 I&D projectsNote there are 4 active WSS and 2 I&D projects


• Do we do too many projects that deal with the most difficult issues and look like failures at the end? or

• Is it the right thing to focus on the difficult and not worry too much about ratings?




reform?

Question #2: Are we using the right tools and using them well?

Lending:Conventional loans? --The right mix of “hard” and “soft”?

Improving WRM 10% Strengthening

WSS organizations

10%

Infrastructure 80%

Q2: Are we using the right tools and using them well?

Lending:Learning and pilots?

Are we doing the right amount of small-scale “adaptive lending?Should we be letting other innovators(e.g. NGOs, bilateral donors... ) do the pilot and we just come in and scale-up?

Q2: Are we using the right tools and using them well?

Non-lendingAnalytic work (e.g. the Water Strategy, the Decentralized Management Strategy...)

Policy Seminars (such as the EDI seminars on water resources management and private sector participation...)

Study tours (e.g. getting key politicians, officials and users to visit countries which are dealing more successfully with groundwater management)



reform?


Q3: Do we make good use of partnerships?

With other donors:do we cooperate effectively?do we stay out of things that others do more effectively?

With Yemeni institutions:do we work effectively with government?Do we make the right partnerships outside of government (with parliament, the press, NGOs, communities, the academic community...)




reform?

Question #4:Do we have the right organization and people?

Organization:we stress the need to work across water sectors -- but do we do as we preach?do we have the right mix of field and Washington-based staff?

Staff:Right mix of external experience and domestic knowledge?Enough (or too much) new blood?What is perception of quality of Bank staff and changes over time?



Effectiveness:#2: Are we using the right tools?#3: Do we make good use of partnerships?#4: Do we have the right people and organization to help?#5: Is our work on water too water-centric?#6: Are we dealing effectively with the political economy of

reform?

Question #5:Is our work in the water sector too sector-centric?

Is our approach to water well integrated with our broader work on the economy of Yemen?when dealing with water reforms, do we make use of our privileged access to, for instance, the Ministry of Planning (e.g. for discussion of diesel price, import protection on qat...?)




reform?

Question #6:Are we dealing with the political economy

questions adequately?

• Do we pay enough attention to country realities (e.g. understanding the reality of tribal politics, pushing

for user involvement, private sector involvement?)• Do we pay too much attention to political

constraints? • How do we get this balance right?

The questions we will ask you to address in your group (Mu’taz will explain) and questionnaires


right sectors? right issues? right places? right risks?Effectiveness:

#2: Are we using the right tools? #3: Do we make good use of partnerships? #4: Do we have the right people and organization to help?#5: Are we using the Bank’s access outside of the water sector?#6: Are we dealing effectively with the political economy of

reform?

So that we can help even better to conserve the beauty and productivity of

your incredible country

And better serve your remarkable people...

of today...of today... ... and especially tomorrow... and especially tomorrow

How has Yemen How has Yemen done?done?

(a) Water (a) Water Resources Resources

managementmanagement



ComprehensiveComprehensive(inter-sectoral,

environmental...)

Institutional Institutional (participation, private

sector, legal and regulatory framework...)

EconomicEconomic(allocation rules,(allocation rules,

user pays...)user pays...)

How has the How has the Yemen done?Yemen done?(b) Irrigation (b) Irrigation and Drainageand Drainage



Institutional Institutional (participation, private

sector, legal and regulatory framework...)

EconomicEconomic(user charges, allocation (user charges, allocation

rules...)rules...)

How has the How has the Yemen done?Yemen done?(c) Water and (c) Water and

SanitationSanitation



Institutional Institutional (autonomy, participation, private sector, legal and regulatory framework...)

EconomicEconomic(cost recovery)(cost recovery)

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