GCA Partners with World Bank to Enhance Water Security and Sanitation in Senegal
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otterdam, the Netherlands, 2 July 2024 — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) announced today its collaboration with the World Bank on the Integrated Water Security and Sanitation Program for Senegal (PISEA). The landmark project, with an initial financing of $200 million from the World Bank, aims to improve water security and sanitation services for over seven million people in Senegal, including 600,000 residents of greater Dakar.
Senegal’s water supplies face significant climate risks, including increasing variability in rainfall, prolonged droughts, and rising temperatures. These factors exacerbate the challenges of water scarcity and stress, particularly in regions with high population growth and rapid urbanization. Additionally, the irregular geographic and temporal distribution of water resources, coupled with pollution and salinity in coastal areas, complicates the management of water supplies. Climate change further intensifies these issues, making it crucial to adopt adaptive measures to ensure sustainable water availability for all Senegalese communities.
Highlights of the project include:
- Sanitation Expansion: Development of sanitation services in East Dakar, including the construction of sewage systems and a state-of-the-art sludge treatment plant with tertiary treatment capabilities.
- Water Management Improvement: Enhancing groundwater recharge, reducing non-revenue water loss, and upgrading the Lac de Guiers water supply system to ensure water security in critical regions.
- Treated Wastewater for Irrigation: Implementing systems to recycle treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation, benefiting farmers and promoting a circular economy approach to water management.
- Sector Reforms and Citizen Engagement: Strengthening governance, involving citizens in decision-making processes, and supporting sector reforms to enhance efficiency and resilience in water and sanitation services.
GCA is providing critical support to the first phase of the project by delivering comprehensive climate risk assessments and promoting innovative approaches to water management and sanitation. Key elements of GCA’s involvement include:
- Climate Risk Assessments: Conducting detailed climate risk assessments to select project locations and design interventions that maximize benefits. This will ensure the resilience of water and irrigation infrastructure, particularly in safeguarding drinking water resources during extreme weather events.
- Wastewater Reuse for Irrigation: Identifying suitable options for the reuse of treated wastewater in agricultural irrigation, providing guidelines to inform intervention design, and promoting sustainable water usage practices in the urban periphery and surrounding rural areas.
- Building Urban Resilience: Assessing pathways to build resilience across administrative boundaries, supporting formal and informal policies, institutions, and regulations to enhance urban resilience in climate hotspots.
- Documenting and Scaling Innovations: Capturing and documenting lessons learned to scale and replicate successful interventions in subsequent phases of the program, ensuring long-term sustainability and resilience.
Professor Patrick V. Vekooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation noted that “Water security and sanitation are critical to building resilient communities, especially in the face of climate change. Our partnership with the World Bank on this project reflects GCA’s commitment to driving innovative and adaptive solutions that address the complex water challenges in Senegal. By leveraging our expertise in climate risk assessments and promoting sustainable water management practices, we aim to enhance the resilience and wellbeing of millions of Senegalese people,”
GCA’s support for this project is aligned with its broader mission to accelerate adaptation action and support resilient solutions across Africa. By fostering collaboration and leveraging innovative practices, GCA aims to build climate resilience and improve the quality of life for communities in Senegal and beyond.
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent.
Founded in 2018, GCA embodies innovation in its approach to climate adaptation as well as in its physical presence. It operates from the largest floating office in the world, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Beijing, China. The Center will open a new office in Nairobi, Kenya in 2025.
