Burkina Faso Water Security Project

The development objective of the Water Security Project for Burkina Faso is to improve the safety of dams, access to associated irrigation and watershed services, and climate resilience for beneficiaries. The project comprises of six components. The first component, security and climate resilience of water storage infrastructures will support the securitization of priority dam infrastructure to ensure continued access to and valorization of the associated water resources, building flood, and drought resilience. It consists of following sub-components: (i) strengthening climate resilience through rehabilitation of priority dams; and (ii) rapid response for securing failing dams and enhanced climate resilience. The second component, development of climate-smart hydro-agricultural infrastructures will support the improvement and expansion of water-related services and economic benefits from dams in drought-prone areas, especially from dams rehabilitated under Component 1. It consists of following sub-components: (i) development of climate-smart irrigated perimeters; and (ii) support to agricultural and fish production and to the management of irrigation schemes. The third component, integrated watershed protection and management will be implemented in the watersheds of the reservoirs to be rehabilitated by the project, to protect them from sedimentation, progressive filling, and loss of storage capacity, leading to increased water availability during droughts and reduced climate-exacerbated flood vulnerability. It consists of following sub-components: (i) participatory planning for integrated watershed management; and (ii) integrated watershed management. The fourth component, climate-smart sector reforms and operationalization of the national strategy for dams will support legal and institutional strengthening and capacity building to enhance water security in Burkina Faso. It consists of following sub-components: (i) supporting climate-smart sector reforms and strengthening the institutional framework; and (ii) capacity building. The fifth component, project management, environmental and social measures, and consulting services will support additional studies and consultancy services, implementation of project safeguard requirements, and project management. The sixth component, contingent emergency response component (CERC) will provide immediate response to an eligible crisis or emergency, as needed. The project will implement NBS (among other measures) to reinforce the resilience of dams and support integrated watershed managemenet, including through the use of vegetative cover to reduce erosion.