ADAPTATION FUND BOARD SECRETARIAT TECHNICAL REVIEW OF PROJECT/PROGRAMME PROPOSAL PROJECT/PROGRAMME CATEGORY: Regular-sized Project Concept _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Country/Region: Sudan/Africa Project Title: Increasing flood and drought resilience in Khartoum metropolitan area through integrated urban-rural watershed management, spatial strategies, EWSs and water harvesting Thematic Focal Area: Urban; Integrated Water Resources Management Implementing Entity: UN-HABITAT AF Project ID: SDN/MIE/Water/2018/1 IE Project ID: Requested Financing from Adaptation Fund (US Dollars): $9,982,000 Reviewer and contact person: Alyssa Gomes Co-reviewer(s): Katya Kuang-Idba IE Contact Person: Tarek Abdel Monem Review Criteria Questions Comments UN-Habitat response Country Eligibility 1. Is the country party Yes to the Kyoto Protocol? 2. Is the country a Yes. Several vulnerability indices rank Sudan developing country among the most vulnerable to climate change and particularly variability, due to a high dependency on traditional vulnerable to the agricultural practices, coupled with non-climate adverse effects of factors, such as protracted social conflict, high climate change? levels of poverty and limited access to capital, markets, and technology. Additionally, Khartoum specifically has experienced increased incidences of extreme flooding and drought conditions. Project Eligibility 1. Has the designated Yes. Dr. Noureldin Ahmed Abdalla, the Secretary government General of the Higher Council for Environment and authority for the Natural Resources and the DA for the Adaptation Adaptation Fund Fund has endorsed this concept in a letter dated 29 July, 2018. endorsed the project/programme? 2. Does the project / Yes. However, some clarifications are requested. CR 1: Groundwater monitoring and programme support The project intends to employ an integrated urban- water information system in Sudan concrete adaptation rural watershed approach, considering all have been very minimal and suffered actions to assist the catchment areas around Khartoum metropolitan huge deterioration over the years country in area, urban development patterns and climate because of inadequate finance and addressing adaptive change risks and impacts to manage urban flood / capacity. capacity to the water cycles in Khartoum. It aims to manage both adverse effects of flood and drought risks in a comprehensive way, by Reduced groundwater recharge in climate change and linking rural (agriculture and cattle) and urban Sudan – either through decreased build in climate (domestic) water management needs. precipitation or increased temperature resilience? and evaporation – has grave Concrete adaptation actions are financed, mainly repercussions for Sudan. National under the third component. These include an up- studies have shown that soil moisture stream water harvesting system that will also would decline under future climate reduce flood impacts in East Nile community (i.e. change. When coupled with increased the most flood vulnerable community in Khartoum) water consumption, population and the establishment of flood early warning growth, high variation in rainfall and systems in communities located downstream of the high rate of evaporation, a Wadi’s that lead to Khartoum. The two dams /water looming water crisis appears likely. reservoirs are constructed with financing under the third component, while the early warning systems Upstream water harvest initiatives are are financed under the first two components. adopted and promoted at national and local levels, especially in areas that It is mentioned on page 19, the ‘whole’ water suffer from devastating floods, to catchment system is required to manage droughts reduce flood impacts (and associated and floods in and around Khartoum city, taking into protection of human beings and their account upstream water harvesting options, properties), but also to increase water agriculture irrigation and groundwater recharge. availability during dry season and to Please clarify in the concept proposal, the increase ground water recharge measures in place for ground water recharge to (through water reservoirs), also during ensure sustainability of the groundwater resources the dry season. A Paragraph is been in this area. CR 1 inserted in part II.A section focused on component 3. On page 18 innovation is mentioned in the sense CR 2: During a meeting between UN- that early warning systems will be established at Habitat and the AF secretariat it was the settlement/ community level, presumably for the mentioned that the adaptation fund is first time and coordinated at the unity/locality level. looking for innovative approaches / However, the innovative elements are not clearly techniques in an urban context, demonstrated. Please provide further information including the establishment of EWSs on the innovative aspects of the planned in informal / unorganized interventions and measures that would have the communities. This project tends to potential to be replicated and scaled up. CR 2 set-up EWSs in such context: in communities host for a large part Please clarify the financial mechanism for micro (ex)DPs / newcomers in an area that credit funds (For example: soft loans? grants?). CR has still an informal status or has 3 recently been formalized, thus lacking established planning and decision- making structures. The innovation is in setting up planning and decision- making structures in which all groups are able to participate equally and which can be used for more than just setting-up EWSs. As there are many communities in Sudan that host large numbers of (ex)DPs and are informal or to be formalized, there is an opportunity to set up these new and ‘open’ planning and decision-making structures, thus improving local governance. A Paragraph has been inserted in Part II.A section component 2 CR 3: The term ‘micro credit funds’ has been replaced by ‘saving groups.’ During consultations with women groups it was suggested that ‘women saving groups’ could be used for multiple purposed, including for intervention maintenance and replication purposes, but the options need to be further explored during the full proposal development phase. Elaborate further on how and for what specific CR 4: see above: this depends on the purposes the micro-credit funds would be granted? ‘willingness’ of women groups but in (E.g. Income generation projects, livelihood this project it could be a tool to ensure sustainability, EWS, training for operation and maintenance and replication of maintenance of physical infrastructure, irrigation interventions, especially for and water supply structures) CR 4 community level early warning systems but also for upstream water Please clarify the selection process for harvesting / irrigation measures beneficiaries to receive micro credit funds? (e.g. competitive?). Additionally, would women’s groups CR 5: The initiatives would come form specifically be the target beneficiaries of these women saving groups that are already funds? CR 5 established. These groups will form the core, together with other representatives from the communities, to select for what purpose the money will be saved. Beneficiaries for micro credit funds will are not relevant bacuse these will not be used 3. Does the project / Not clear. CAR 1: Potential environmental and programme provide Economic, social and environmental benefits are social risks related to proposed economic, social outlined in Table 9. The project discusses activities that have been identified at and environmental generating multiple socio-economic benefits by this stage (concept note) and will be benefits, particularly supporting livelihood diversification and increasing avoided / mitigated, include equal to vulnerable income generation among vulnerable groups, access and benefits of particlulary communities, particularly women and youth; while supporting women, youth and DP groups. These including gender increased community resilience and preventing groups are generally not well considerations, economic losses from damage to physical assets organized (for more detail see annex while avoiding or and negative impacts relating to loss of access to 2) and therefore the project will avoid / mitigating negative basic services during flood conditions. Increasing reduce these potential risks by impacts, in community awareness of flood impacts, particularly ensuring equal representation of compliance with the the connection between flooding conditions and vulnerable groups, especially women, Environmental and health impacts, is also a key expected outcome. youth and DPs, but also nomads, Social Policy and CAR 1: Please elaborate more fully on the possible during consultations, planning Gender Policy of negative impacts of the project, and what the processes and for possible job the Fund? potential mitigating actions may be. opportunities. As for the set-up of EWSs, decision-making structures in which all groups are able to participate equally and which can be used for more than just setting-up EWSs, will be established. Based on an initial analysis of the target area and the outcome of the Environmental and Socio-economic Impact study of Wadi Abu Soueid Water Harvesting and Spreading Project in Khartoum State, Sudan,1 which is close to the target area, other potentially negative impacts include increase in the densities of the noxious Adar (Sorghum sp.) weed and semi-parasitic Buda (Striga hermonthica) plant, security