| Sustainable development
author of the guide said. “Good site selection, avoiding impacts wherever possible, is the best approach to long term sustainability.”
Global tools The World Bank said that it “sees value in the
availability of global tools to spur better project performance”. Furthermore, it believes that the environmental, social and governance topics addressed by the Hydropower Sustainability Tools are “deliberately aligned” with the bank’s own frameworks and “should give comfort to World Bank Group staff that they can recommend the tools to client countries”. The Hydropower Sustainability Tools (HSTs) are a
suite of assessment tools and guidance documents developed by a multi-stakeholder forum, aimed at driving continuous improvement in hydropower development and operations. In a report published in December 2020 called Using
Hydropower Sustainability Tools in World Bank Group Client Countries, the bank said that the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) and the Hydropower Sustainability Environmental, Social and Governance Gap Analysis Tool (HESG) are “useful for identifying how to improve hydropower projects”. According to the report, third-party assessments
by accredited assessors can provide a critical and objective evaluation of project performance which can in turn encourage project sponsors to strive for continuous improvement. Although it warns that the Hydropower Sustainability
Tools are not substitutes for World Bank requirements, the report states that they “can be used to complement World Bank Group sustainability frameworks and help clients meet environmental, social and governance requirements for hydropower projects”. Furthermore, they are described as having “useful applications beyond audits” and can be used for capacity building, screening early-stage investments, modelling regulatory reform and more. The report concludes that World Bank staff “should encourage clients to use the Hydropower Sustainability Tools to strengthen their capacity and to help them meet World Bank Group requirements”. It adds that it is important for the bank to remain involved in the tools’ governance to ensure they “stay globally relevant and aligned with World Bank standards”.
Canadian freshwater assessment The Standing Committee on Environment and
Sustainable Development in Canada announced in March 2021 that it will begin a study on the country’s freshwater resources, and assess the role of federal government in protecting and managing it. “Freshwater security is vital for the health of Canadians, for the environment, and for our economy. The protection and management of freshwater particularly is important in the context of climate change,” said chair of the committee Francis Scarpaleggia. “Water governance is complex and multi- jurisdictional,” he continued. “Even within the federal government itself, decision-making related to freshwater cuts across many departments and agencies”. The study will examine who has responsibility for
freshwater and assess the relationship among all tiers of government and indigenous people. It hopes to streamline the role of federal governments and
improve collaboration with other levels of government and non-governmental stakeholders. Consideration will be given to Canada’s international obligations relating to freshwater, pressures on the country’s own resources and present and future freshwater-related research needs.
Water, energy, food and environment Research consortium FutureDAMS has published
a new guide to help create “the most rigorous assessment of water, energy, food and environment (WEFE) infrastructure”. Published in February 2021, authors David Hulme and Barnaby Dye from the University of Manchester in the UK, say their guide proposes a process for undertaking a multi-criteria WEFE intervention option assessment process. Called Engaging Stakeholders in Water-
Energy-Food-Environment System Modelling, the FutureDAMS guide lists a five-step process to help produce recommendations that will have “the widest societal support and identify how to maximise benefits whilst minimising negative impacts”. In the five steps, development needs are identified
in step one while step two considers what are the potential investments, policies or infrastructure required to meet these needs. Step three involves a modelling exercise with a participatory, stakeholder process. A representative group of interested parties further deliberates the developmental needs and a set of proposed projects to meet them, this time more confined to the water- energy-food-environment nexus. In Step four, once the system has been modelled and options for new or repurposed infrastructure established, computer ‘simulation’ models are used to track resource availability and distribution. Finally, the fifth step is the creation of a report recommending a set of interventions and the rationales behind them. The guide is described as “differing from other frameworks and decision-making processes in the water-energy space”. Its main focus is planning development of infrastructure (not just dams) in water basins by integrating energy, environment and water models which can compare different infrastructure construction and operation options. The guide is intended for: ● Decision-makers of new and existing infrastructure in the water-food-energy-environment nexus.
● Policymakers undertaking strategic national or regional planning processes to identify the key developmental challenges and the solutions that can meet them.
● Non-governmental organisations, researchers and civil society groups who want to create, or advocate for, a participatory stakeholder plan for the Water- Food-Energy-Environment nexus. ●
References New guide promotes biodiversity conservation in hydropower development. 21/4/2021 www.
hydropower.org/news/new- guide-promotes-biodiversity- conservation-in-hydropower- development
Using the Hydropower Sustainability Tools in World Bank Group Client Countries. Lessons Learned and Recommendations by Kimberly Lyon. December 2020.
https://documents.
worldbank.org/en/ publication/documents- reports/documentdetail/ 948231610524820276/ using-the-hydropower- sustainability-tools-in-world- bank-group-client-countries- lessons-learned-and- recommendations
Engaging stakeholders in water- energy-food-environment systems assessment and planning: A FutureDAMS guide by Barnaby Dye, David Hulme and the FutureDAMS Consortium, Global Development Institute, The University of Manchester, UK. 2021. www.futuredams. org/research-themes/ social-science/stakeholder- engagement-guide/
www.waterpowermagazine.com | August 2021 | 41
Above: A new Canadian repot says that the protection and management of freshwater resources is important in the context of climate change
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
