Assam Integrated River Basin Management Program

active

The proposed project would support the State of Assam to improve integrated basin planning, including addressing the key threats of flooding and erosion and making most productive use of the rich water resources. This will help achieve the higher-level objective of achieving water security to build the State’s climate resilience and launch it on a sustainable growth path, which will serve as a platform for broader transformation in the region. The project would represent a first, critical step to addressing these issues through the program. It would build a sound, scientific knowledge base for informed decisions on integrated water resources planning and management; strengthen the Assam WRD and ASDMA and help them build better linkages with related agencies / other line departments for coordinated planning, management and development; and begin to roll out improved systems for flood and erosion management. The project would demonstrate best practice by bringing in innovative and integrated responses to live intelligently with nature. The proposed project seeks to achieve the following key results towards achieving the PDO: (i) Modernized institutions for water resources planning and management and disaster risk reduction in Assam (index); (ii) Targeted basin/sub-basin investment plans completed with analytical and stakeholder input (number); and (iii) Area under enhanced flood and erosion management systems (hectares).The proposed project would include five components: (i) Institutional Strengthening, aiming to modernize and strengthen the capacity of WRD and ASDMA, in addition to other related agencies such as the Assam Water Research and Management Institute (AWRMI); (ii) Integrated River Basin Planning and Management, aiming to develop an integrated planning framework for multi-sectoral investment planning and effective management of the Brahmaputra and Barak Basins that involves all relevant stakeholders; (iii) Flood and Erosion Risk Management, aiming to strengthen disaster risk management in Assam, particularly for the two major water-related risks of floods and riverbank erosion, that are already serious and could be exacerbated under a changing climate; (iv) Project Management, aiming to ensure effective implementation of project activities and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of project implementation progress, outputs and outcomes; and (v) Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC), which will allow for rapid reallocation of loan uncommitted funds in the event of an eligible emergency as defined in OP 8.00.