Central Asia Water Efficiency Cooperation Project

pipeline

The Water Efficiency and Conservation MPA envisages a regional cooperation platform, aimed at addressing regional challenges that cannot be effectively resolved through national project financing. An important objective of the project is to support Central Asian countries in improving water use efficiency and strengthening resilience, which will contribute to achieving the overall goal of the MPA implementation.Component 1. Development of potential cross-border investment projects: This component will include development of feasibility studies (FS), technical documentation, and other project documents for the modernization of irrigation and drainage systems, water conservation and storage facilities, used by at least two countries. Facilities for financing will be identified and agreed upon additionally upon request from at least two countries.Component 2. Digitalization and Automation: This component will support the digitalization and automation of water management systems in the Central Asia region. It will finance the procurement of equipment to address the urgent needs of the BWO Amudarya and Syrdarya, the development of a regional digitalization strategy and priority action roadmap, the design and implementation of information systems for the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins and glacier monitoring, including a disaster risk management system, as well as the procurement and installation of associated equipment, IT infrastructure, cloud services, and remote monitoring data collection systems.Component 3. Improvement of the Legal Framework and Strategic Planning. This component will support development of regulatory framework to promote regional cooperation in the field of irrigation and water efficiency. During the implementation of information systems, there may be a need to develop additional regulations and/or, methodologies.Component 4. Support for Regional Institutions and Capacity Building. This component will support regional institutions within the IFAS structure, including ICWC, the ICWC Secretariat, the ICWC SIC, and IFAS Executive Committee branches, through technical capacity development, joint meetings, and training. It will also facilitate knowledge exchange through study tours, an annual scientific and practical conference, and research partnerships.Component 5. Project Management. This component will support the overall coordination, administration, and oversight of the Project. It will include the establishment and operation of a dedicated Program Management Unit (PMU), responsible for fiduciary management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), reporting, communication, and ensuring compliance with World Bank policies and procedures. This component will also cover costs associated with audits, project supervision, and other program management activities necessary to ensure the effective and efficient Project implementation.