Learning Repository

Asian Water Development Outlook Series

Publication

AWDO is ADB's flagship water publication. This series provides a country-by-country snapshot of the region’s water security status, enabling policy makers, financing institutions, and planners to make more informed decisions on how to improve their performance in the water sector.

Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience: A Guideline for Project Developers

Publication

This document aims to guide the design, implementation, and use of studies to value the benefits and costs of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for climate resilience projects. Reliable quantification of the costs and benefits of NBS for climate resilience can facilitate further mainstreaming of these interventions by articulating the value proposition of NBS across sectors, improve impact evaluation, and for identifying additional funding and financing for projects. This report provides an overview of methods and approaches, along with a decision framework to guide the design of NBS cost and benefit assessment. The decision framework presented should enable project developers to come up with a cost-effective approach for quantifying the benefits and costs of NBS that is effective and convincing in the context of climate resilience projects. To illustrate this in practical applications, eight case studies from World Bank projects are also included to better show how different valuation methods are applied in the field.

Australia Learning Week - Digital Technologies for Climate-Resilient Water Sector

Training

Australian National University

Technology

Not only can pumped storage hydropower enable the transition to low carbon electricity grids, it can also help with providing firm power in the Himalayas and offers opportunities for multiple uses to benefit local people.

Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning (AVISTEP)

Tool

AVISTEP as an upstream sensitivity mapping tool focusing on birds which provides a low cost solution to speeding up delivery of renewable energy projects. AVISTEP quickly allows developers and governments to identify sites of high wind and solar resources but with low environmental sensitivity ideal for renewables development, as well as sites of high sensitivity that should be avoided. The result of using such a tool will mean projects can be developed more quickly, gain regulatory approval and have easier access to lender finance. Equipped with information obtained from this tool, those involved in planning renewable energy will be able to ensure that facilities are developed in the most appropriate locations.

BasinGuide: A Guide to River Basin Planning

Publication

BasinGuide is a practical reference for undertaking river basin planning based on Australia’s experience in managing water scarcity. This guide presents seven iterative stages for managing water resources by collaboratively establishing plans and governance arrangements to distribute water resources, resolve water disputes, improve water quality, meet energy needs, mitigate floods and adapt to climate change. BasinGuide is intended to be used at a range of levels of government, from Ministerial to officers designing and implementing policy, as well as at provincial, regional, state and national levels. This guide is also intended to support non-government organisations, community, and stakeholder groups who are integral to achieving successful river basin planning outcomes.

Charles Sturt University

Technology

A collaborative project with the Food and Agriculture Organization to improve water resources management in Indonesia by implementing a spatial analysis framework to identify river connectivity issues.

City Service Delivery Assessment for Citywide Inclusive Sanitation - Tool and User Guide

Tool

The City Service Delivery Assessment (CSDA) complements the Shit Flow Diagrams to assess why the situation is as it is. It provides a process for working with stakeholders to assess the enabling environment for citywide inclusive sanitation and to present the results in a simple and accessible way. The CSDA User Guide explains how the CSDA tool works and provides recommendations on how to use it with stakeholders.

City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA)

Tool

City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA) enables cities, regions and water companies to take a holistic view of their water systems, inform decision-makers of a strategy to take forward and collaboratively build resilience to local water challenges. It provides a detailed step-wise methodology coupled with tools and resources that guide cities to bring a wide range of stakeholders together to share their perspectives; diagnosing what helps and hinders the water system to function when faced with shocks and stresses, and collaboratively develop and implement a water resilience action plan. CWRA and the associated tools are globally applicable.

City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation Services Assessment and Planning (CWIS SAP) Tool

Tool

The CWIS SAP tool helps decision-makers compare the outcomes of different sanitation interventions or investments. The tool analyzes and illustrates how each proposed intervention is likely to affect the equity, financial sustainability and safety of sanitation services in an urban area. The CWIS SAP tool is designed in collaboration with regulators and service providers to assist in evaluating a variety of options and prioritizing those that cost-effectively and equitably expand access to safely managed sanitation.