Afghanistan : Water Resources Development

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Water-based natural resources management

The goals of the PPTA is to prepare a project using the multitranche financing facility (MFF) that will develop Afghanistan's water resources and irrigated agriculture potential through infrastructure investment, improve water management, institutional strengthening, and capacity development. The project will build core competencies and develop ongoing programs within the water resources and irrigated agriculture sectors to facilitate development and implementation of an investment pipeline.

The PPTA will provide analytical sector work to create development plan for water resources and irrigated agriculture. This will include (i) confirming sector objectives, (ii) assessing the current status of sector institutions, (iii) defining needed capacity development, institutional strengthening, and needed reforms, and (iv) providing a sector roadmap as a part of the financial framework for the MFF modality. Following this, the PPTA will prepare there priority core subprojects involving irrigation rehabilitation, development of new irrigation infrastructure, and bank and flood protection for financing under the ensuing loan. The investment preparation will comprise the bulk of the PPTA activities.

The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS - approved 2009) prioritzes development of water resources for irrigation as a key activity for economic growth and poverty reduction. ADB's Country Partnership Strategy is in line with ANDS and also highlights water resources and one of the focal areas for ADB support.

The TA and ensuing Project will be development and improved management of water resources with an emphasis on irrigation infrastructure.

The outcome will be an ADB project design that includes preparation of: (i) a sector strategy to guide a long-term ADB program for water resources and irrigation agriculture; (ii) an investment project[s] for ADB financing; (iii) capacity development program; and (iv) a project preparation facility for subsequent projects.

The TA will include the following outputs: (i) a sector strategy, road map, and investment plan; (ii) criteria to select subprojects to be financed under the Project; (iii) feasibility-level technical preparation (excepting detailed designs), with economic, financial, social, and environmental assessments of representative core subprojects and their impacts, and analysis of the proposed Project as a whole; (iv) an initial list of prioritized investments based on the selection criteria and preparation of the core subprojects; (v) detailed implementation arrangements, including methodologies and modalities for subproject selection and preparation, project management, procurement, and financial management, inter alia; (vi) a project investment and financing plan; (vii) institutional and policy analyses with recommendations to enhance project impact; (viii) due diligence for financial management, governance, procurement, and safeguards according to ADB guidelines including a resettlement framework with compensation matrix and possible plans for core subprojects, initial environmental examinations and environmental impact assessments as required for the core subproject, and indigenous peoples plans as required; (ix) terms of reference for implementation consultants; (x) workshops, consultations, training, and seminars; (xi) a project design and monitoring framework; and (xii) a monitoring and evaluation framework.