Page 15 - CIWA Climate Resilience & Mitigation Assessment

CIWA Climate Resilience & mitigation Assessment

No CIWA operation or activity directly implements
significant GHG emissions reduction. Rather, almost all
The studies revealed that the socioeconomic climate mitigation results are linked to CIWA’s influence on
benefits derived from building the Fomi Dam in downstream or concurrent lending projects. As shown in
the designated site would be far outweighed by Table 1, climate mitigation influenced by CIWA operations
adverse social and environmental impacts. The included four mobilized and two potential hydroelectric
dam construction in the original site would have stations. The cumulative installed capacity of mobilized
displaced 60,000 people in two towns that have CIWA-influenced hydropower investments amounts to
hospitals and schools. The project attempted to 2,379 MW, which corresponds to about 5.66 percent of
balance climate mitigation benefits from Africa’s overall hydropower capacity (42 GW). These are the
hydropower against losses of biodiversity and most readily quantifiable of CIWA’s activities; CIWA also has
livelihoods. Members of the Fomi Inter-ministerial operations and influenced projects that incorporated solar-
Committee agreed to find a different site with powered pumps for groundwater extraction or irrigation,
fewer adverse impacts. An alternative site, which but these are generally on a very small scale and not
will mean the relocation of 12,000 people, was
found (CIWA was not involved in identifying the quantified for this report (see Table 3).²⁷ The active BETF,
new site). Untapping Resilience: Groundwater Management and
Learning in the Horn of Africa's Borderlands, is on track to
Ultimately, these activities illustrate the potential support larger investments in groundwater solar pumps
pros and cons of large dam investments; the across the HoA borderlands through the World Bank’s HoA
benefits of producing electricity through Groundwater for Resilience program. CIWA’s other
hydropower did not accrue, however, people and mitigation activities include influencing potential
ecosystems were spared disproportionate investments in grid interconnection expansion supporting
negative externalities. accounting and management of biodiversity, wetlands, and
ecosystem services, and potential investments in
watershed management and rehabilitation.

Cattle grazing beside the Sélingué reservoir, Mali. ©Marisa Goulden / International Alert

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²⁷ Operations include Sustainable Groundwater Management in SADC Member States Phase 1 and 2, Sahel Groundwater Initiative, and Untapping Resilience.