Yemen Improved Water Management and Irrigation for Sustainability and Efficiency Project

pipeline

Prospective

The Project includes four components designed around a robust systems approach that responds to the complex, FCV context in Yemen. These are informed by deep analysis and contextual awareness of the key issues in the water and agricultural sectors and include a high degree of flexibility built around a combination of top-down and bottom-up interventions. This includes explicit provisions to enable adaptive management through strong partnerships with proven track record of implementation and robust risk management, with a commitment to inclusion and learning in line with the World Bank’s FCV Strategy. Component 1. Climate and Water Information Management Systems (US$ 3.5 million, UNDP implemented). This component is financed through a grant from the World Bank Administered Multi-Donor “Yemen Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction Umbrella Trust Fund” and will provide the data and information needed to inform climate resilient decision making and address the longer-term challenges facing water scarcity and food security in Yemen through the following two subcomponents. Subcomponent 1.1 – Developing a Climate and Water Information Management System (CWIMS) (US$ 2.0 million Yemen Fund, UNDP implemented). This subcomponent will develop and operationalize a scalable national CWIMS hosted by MWE, building on and reactivating the earlier system (NWRMIS). The CWIMS will be designed for long-term sustainability through institutional ownership, capacity building, and scalable financing, enabling future integration of additional water basins, Early Warning System (EWS) modules, and decision support tools (see Annex 3 for details). Activities include a national inventory and digitization of water and climate data, assessment of monitoring networks, and conceptual design of a sustainable nationwide observation network. More than a technical system, CWIMS will serve as a collaborative platform, fostering coordinated engagement among Yemen’s key water and climate stakeholders—including CAMA, MWE, NWRA, GSMRB, and academic institutions—to ensure diverse technical expertise and institutional mandates are reflected. This collaborative foundation will support sustained joint ownership, data sharing, and operational integration across sectors. The system will be equipped with modern tools and interoperable platforms for broad access and data security. A dedicated System Management Unit (SMU) within MWE will oversee CWIMS operations and stakeholder coordination. Subcomponent 1.2 – Developing Climate Resilient Decision Making and Monitoring Networks in Prioritized Basins (US$ 1.5 million Yemen Fund, UNDP implemented). This subcomponent will develop and apply decision support tools and coordination mechanisms to facilitate climate-resilient decision-making in the two selected basins. It will include: (i) the development of decision support tools and products, using the CWIMS, to inform both investments and day-to-day decisions focused on water and food security, flood and drought risk management and improved weather forecasting, among others. Tools—such as, multi-criteria analysis frameworks and simulation models—will integrate climate change considerations, enabling stakeholders to prioritize projects and make climate-resilient choices; (ii) the strengthening of coordination and consultation mechanisms to ensure effective coordination and consultation among all relevant stakeholders such as WUAs, WBCs, ACs, and ICs; (iii) the update of IWRM and investment plans in the Aden-Tuban and Wadi Hajir basins; and (iv) the capacity building to be designed based on an assessment of the capacity of key government and community organizations, to deliver a comprehensive capacity building program for local stakeholders, including training on CWIMS, development and use of decision support tools, operation and maintenance of monitoring stations, and strengthening coordination and consultation skills.`Component 2 - Improved Integrated Watershed Management and Irrigation (US$ 67 million IDA equivalent, UNDP implemented). This component will enhance water and food security, improve disaster risk management, and strengthen community resilience, with a focus on climate adaptation investments in areas with critical water stress, severe food insecurity, and vulnerability to extreme weather events. It will leverage the parallel outputs of the information management system and IWRM plans financed under Component 1. Community-led organizations and farmers will be trained in operations, maintenance, and use of infrastructure to foster ownership. The implementation partner has pre-existing engagements in the Aden-Tuban basin to scale the activities under this component. The component will finance geographically targeted activities across four core areas: (a) rehabilitation and reconstruction of water resources infrastructure; (b) irrigation modernization to increase water-use efficiency; (c) soil conservation and land protection; (d) institutional support and capacity building. Activities to be financed are outlined by basins, and include: Sub-Component 2.1 – Integrated Management of Water and Agriculture in the Aden-Tuban Basin (US$ 50 million IDA equivalent). Based on technical selection criteria and consultations with the local communities, this sub-component will rebuild and construct climate-resilient infrastructure for water harvesting, storage, and flood protection. Types of infrastructure to be financed include approximately 50 structures, such as check and diversion dams, ponds, cisterns, embankments with combined storage capacity of about 1.863 million cubic meters and rehabilitation of 30–40 km of irrigation canals. Farming communities will benefit from the rehabilitation of traditional terrace systems, on-farm improvements, including modern irrigation (drip, sprinklers, solar pumps), upgraded distribution networks, and improved drainage. This sub-component will also finance reinforcement of 20–30 km of wadi banks using nature-based solutions, vegetative cover and retention walls, installation of sedimentation barriers to reduce accumulation, and rehabilitation of about 5,500 hectares through terracing and soil conservation practices.Sub-Component 2.2 – Integrated Management of Water and Agriculture in the Wadi Hajir Basin (US$ 17 million IDA equivalent). This sub-component will finance infrastructure tailored to the hydrogeological specification of the catchment that help towards climate adaptation. Under this sub-component the Project will finance the rehabilitation and upgrading of critical water infrastructure in the Wadi Hajir Basin, including canals, small storage and recharge structures, as well as flood protection works. More than 2,000 hectares of agricultural land will be protected from flooding and upgraded with improved irrigation or drainage to increase productivity and resilience. This sub-component will also enhance on-farm technologies that enable water-saving and solar-powered irrigation (pumps, greenhouses, drip and floppy sprinklers) and improved scheduling tools to enhance water use efficiency. These activities will actively engage local communities building-on traditional practices, and will finance packages of land conservation and erosion-control measures that include terraces, check dams, embankments and other relevant tools, etc.Subcomponent 2.3 - Institutional Support and Capacity Building. This sub-component will provide institutional support to community-based organizations across the two basins, including WUAs, WBCs, ACs, ICs, and field offices of MWE and MAIF. These organizations will be guided to then work with farmers and deliver Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training, provide advisory services, and conduct follow-ups to support technology adoption and supervise operations. Key activities include training in integrated water resources management. Farmers will be trained in specialized practices for irrigation technology and operational maintenance

World Bank Group

Project

Solar, Water Supply and Storage, Biomass, Raw Materials, Waste Processing and Treatment, Government, Education, Residential, Commercial