Economics & Development

Syria Emergency Water Security and Resilient Services Project for the Syrian Arab Republic has the development objectives to restore bulk water and wastewater infrastructure in priority areas and enhance resilience to climate risks. Component 1: Restoring and Safeguarding Water Supply Services will rehabilitate the Ain Al-Zarqa Water Supply by replacing pumps, restoring tanks and reservoirs, conducting localized pipeline repairs, and installing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and remote monitoring to improve efficiency and climate resilience; rehabilitate the Upper Orontes Water Treatment Plant and supply system for Homs and Hama by installing electromechanical and chlorination equipment, completing critical conveyance links, integrating SCADA and performance management, and securing safe drinking water for urban and rural communities; and provide Emergency Equipment and Resilient Supplies, including spare parts, pumps, pipes, valves, tools, information technology systems, service vehicles, water tankers, and water quality testing supplies to restore operational performance and reduce service failures. Component 2: Rehabilitating Wastewater Infrastructure will restore the Adra Wastewater Treatment Plant in Damascus by assessing and replacing electromechanical equipment, rehabilitating sedimentation and thickening basins, upgrading laboratories, sludge and service water pumping stations, and priority civil structures to improve treatment reliability and reduce emissions, and will advance Preparation for the Rehabilitation of Wastewater Treatment Plants by financing studies and procurement readiness for the Sheikh Saied Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Aleppo and potentially the Jermana and AlSayyida Zainab WWTPs in Rural Damascus, including options for performance-based contracting and climate proofing. Component 3: Enhancing Water Resources and Resilience will establish a National Dam Safety Program to risk-rank the national dam portfolio, assess priority dams including Rastan, Afrin, and Zeita, define emergency preparedness, and install critical instrumentation; develop a Water and Climate Information and Control Center with integrated operational control and a climate and water data platform using interoperable systems, remote sensing, and decision-support tools for early warning and risk-informed operations; and strengthen Transboundary Waters Cooperation by improving legal and policy frameworks, establishing interoperable data sharing, building institutional capacity, installing surface and groundwater monitoring equipment in shared basins, undertaking joint basin planning, piloting atmospheric ionization rain enhancement equipment and networks, and conducting studies of the Maadher and Nawa wellfields. Component 4: Governance, Monitoring and Management will support a Project Management Team (PMT) and a Project Support Team for day-to-day implementation, fiduciary management, and environmental and social compliance; engage an internationally recruited Owner’s Engineer to prepare designs, bidding documents, and supervise works; develop medium-term sector strategies, regulatory key performance indicators for monitoring service quality, and citizen engagement and grievance systems; and implement a paid graduate internship program with training, mentorship, and certification to strengthen gender-responsive workforce development and institutional capacity across central and governorate water and sanitation entities.