A Technical Assistance (TA) team led by Cowater International prepares prefeasibility studies for three potential regional projects in the Central Asia region that (i) have highest investment-readiness potential, (ii) are fully in line with ADB Strategy 2030 and CAREC 2030 strategy, and (iii) are endorsed by the working group of CAREC water pillar. The three projects for further prefeasibility & later feasibility studies are selected from a long list of potential investment projects. The TA team prepares technical, financial, economic, poverty and social analysis, environment, social, and indigenous people’s safeguards assessments, climate change assessments, financial management and procurement capacity assessments; and institutional set-up and project implementation arrangements. FutureWater does the climate change and climate risk assessment.
The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program incorporated agriculture and water as a new pillar in 2017 under its CAREC 2030 strategy to promote cooperation on water scarcity, productivity, and regional water management. A scoping study, to which FutureWater provided technical inputs, and supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), led to the development of a framework for the CAREC Water Pillar, which received regional endorsement during consultations. A dedicated Water Pillar Working Group consisting of representatives from the five Central Asian countries prioritized three projects for pre-feasibility studies.
For these pre-feasibility studies, FutureWater assesses climate risks and impacts on water resources on the various project locations. The projects include two transboundary infrastructure projects linked to the Bakhri Tojik reservoir, and should provide benefits to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan. A third project aims at deploying a regional automated hydrometeorological monitoring system.
