| Grant Profile: |
| Project Title: |
Operational Study on Water Scarcity and Role of Traditional and Modern Conflict Mitigation and Resolution Mechanisms in MENA |
| PCF/LICUS/SPF: |
PCF |
Status: |
Closed |
| File Number: |
315
| Region: |
MENA |
| Sector: |
Water, sanitation and flood protection |
Country: |
Multi-country |
| FY approved: |
2005 |
Grant Theme : |
Environment and natural resources management |
| Keyword(s): |
Conflict prevention;Social/conflict analysis;Water disputes |
Approved Amount: |
$80,000.00 |
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Grant Recipient:
CEDARE (Egypt) |
Grant Purpose:
Water is the most scarce natural resource in the Middle East and North Africa region and one that is increasingly vulnerable to local and international conflicts as a result of increased scarcity, population growth, unsustainable fiscal expenditures on water; competition for water between sectors, etc. The purpose of this project is therefore to inform policies and work in this sector more broadly through a study of the success and limitations of existing and evolving resolution mechanisms for the allocation and use of the resources.
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Grant Activities:
The activity will aim at documenting up to five country case studies, focusing on countries such as Iran, Yemen, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. To the extent possible, each study will show the share of conflicts dealt with in the formal judicial system or by traditional authorities that relate to water and will give an indication of the rate of change of disputes over water (i.e. have they become more frequent recently). In addition, the case study will indicate if the resolution led to accelerated depletion or pollution of the resource. Specifically, the activity would assess the success and limitations of traditional and evolving mechanisms for determining water allocation issues. It would evaluate the extent to which these structures lend themselves to internationally accepted best practice in water management.
Component 1: Historical conflict management mechanisms
Traditional irrigation systems and conflict resolution mechanisms have minimized water conflicts in several parts of the MENA region but are now put under intense pressure to cope with the rise of new technologies, changes in institutional set-up and increased competition over scarce water resources. Case studies 1 & 2 will look at two countries: Yemen and Iran.
Case Study 1
In Yemen, custom rules on water harvesting and irrigation management systems have addressed conflicts between downstream and upstream water users since pre-history (cf. role of Sheikh al-wadi). Water users have a longstanding tradition of self-reliance and the role of traditional arbitration systems is crucial in solving disputes over water allocation. The unofficial arbitration system plays a much greater role in solving water conflicts in Yemen than the more recent judiciary system. Autonomous water users’ associations (WUAs) were also formed in Yemen to ensure the maintenance of the weirs and canals, previously the responsibility of the central government.
The project aims to assess the efficiency of WUAs in administering water conflicts, and the types of third-party institutional arrangement which can be put in place in Yemen.
Case Study 2
In Iran, traditional arrangements in the irrigation sector, such as qanats, have dominated as conflict management mechanisms over water resources. The project aims to assess the sustainability of those traditional arrangements with the new land distribution policy and the affordability of well drilling. The project will also estimate the consequences for farmers dependent on these systems for their livelihoods.
Component 2: Modern conflict management mechanisms
Case study 3
In Jordan, groundwater is regulated by the state through a top-down approach. A detailed inventory of all wells is now complete in the country and about 90% of the wells are metered. A charge for abstractions of groundwater in excess of licensed amounts has been established. The current project aims to assess the effectiveness of this system, and the extent to which these operating arrangements are interacting with traditional water rights.
Case study 4
In Morocco, the emphasis on volumetric tariffs has undermined the need for collaborative arrangements between water users such as water users associations. The study explores the role of volumetric tariffs to resolve water allocation conflicts in large scale irrigated areas in Morocco.
Case study 5
In Egypt, water user associations were created to address the concerns of tail-enders and have shown good results overall. The study explores the efficiency of water user associations in taking over the management of on-farm and tertiary level irrigation systems, and the ways conflicts between farmers with access to the main irrigation canal and the tail-enders are resolved. The project also tries to assess the replicability of this model in other countries.
Component 3: A cross-country analysis on water rights options for the MENA region.
The activity will draw some lessons from the above cases and will analyze the different institutional options and financial incentives mechanisms relevant for the MENA countries to create and administer water rights, if and where appropriate. In doing so, the analysis will attempt to draw a typology of the various conflicting interests and how to reconcile competing demands for water between upstream and downstream users, between large and small landlords, between poor and well-off farmers, between pastoral and nomad populations, between men and women, between rural and urban populations, and finally between States.
The analysis will give an indication of the rate of change of disputes over water (i.e. have they become more frequent recently); provide an assessment of the way conflicts typically get resolved and the impacts of that decision on the resource; and indicate the extent to which traditional institutional structures and dispute resolution mechanisms are able to deal with the types of conflicts that arise. This should highlight success stories where possible. The analysis will attempt to elaborate a matrix showing which institutional structures respond best to conflicting demands over water and under which circumstances.
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Results:
- The Report was finalized and disseminated
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Lessons Learned:
(1) Use of local agency with well-established reputation increases likelihood of success: CEDARE is a regional organization based in Cairo, Egypt, with close ties to governmental and non-governmental water institutions in all MENA countries. It has been working since its establishment with various stakeholders in several countries of the region. Therefore, its high level of expertise and reputation within the region greatly facilitated the research work and the acceptability of the study results and messages by the Governments.
(2) Dialogue and transparency are important for the process: An MNSRE-led team visited the staff of CEDARE, including the Director of the organization, to discuss the purpose and challenges of the activity given the sensitivity of the issue of water scarcity in the region. The visit represented also an opportunity to meet the Egyptian local consultants to refine the thematic and geographical focus of the case study. The visit was useful in clarifying the meaning of some of the terminology (water conflict; water disputes; governance, etc.) and helped diffuse some potential tension or resistance on conducting a research on a politically sensitive topic. As a result of the discussion, letters signed by both organizations were sent to each Ministry in charge of water resources in all five countries and three countries responded positively to the research indicating their willingness to cooperate and review the country reports.
(3) The "Generalization Dilemma": Although the study looked at 5 country cases in North Africa & the Middle East, each case focused on one or several sub-national geographic areas. Therefore, one must resist the temptation to generalize the findings of the report at a national level, let alone across all the countries in the MNA region. Therefore, the synthesis report is more appropriate as a basis for information-sharing and policy advocacy rather than to be used in a training course as a part of training modules.
(4) The study clearly stressed the added value of drawing lessons from history to improve current water management practices. In particular, the report showed how traditional mechanisms for water allocation and distribution (such as the saqya system in Egypt) were successful in resolving conflicts. However, the introduction of modern pumping technologies led to the failure of these traditional mechanisms. Water users associations (WUAs) were created shortly after to solve conflicts over water allocation and thus replicated the traditional rules for water allocation prevalent in the old saqya system in Egypt.
Corporate lessons:
(1) Building a multi-sectoral team: One key lesson for the Bank staff relates to the critical input of social scientists or anthropologists’ perspectives and analysis when conducting a research on water and the broader social fabric and political economy environment. Building a team with water experts and social scientists adds significant value to the research.
(2) Keeping engaged in policy dialogue: Although political economy issues are difficult to address with World Bank clients, this piece of analytical work can help staff make recommendations that are technically sound and implementable and can act as a powerful instrument for engaging clients in sustainable water reforms.
(3) Because the impacts of the study will be "visible" and "measurable" beyond the lifetime of the activity, as this is essentially about capacity-building and policy change, sufficient grant resources should be set aside to conduct an ex-post evaluation, at the minimum 6 months to one-year after completion of the activity.
(4) Building upstream dialogue early on within the Bank: If well timed, this activity can give the water sector traction within various constituencies (sector units, country units, etc...). Good analytical work which captures the attention and support of Bank clients is the most effective way for water to become central to CASs, etc., where appropriate.
Key challenges:
- The study took several months longer to complete than initially scheduled due to delays in consultant selection and contracting.
- It is difficult to, immediately after the report has been published, evaluate the impact of the study within the countries in terms of generating a better understanding factors and mechanisms that help or hinder individuals from cooperating and sharing the resource and in terms of influencing policy decision-making.
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