Fostering and leveraging opportunities for water security program

The development objective of the Fostering and Leveraging Opportunities for Water Security (FLOWS) Program Project for Kosovo is to: (i) strengthen national capacity for managing water security, and (ii) improve water security in Morava e Binces basin. The project comprises of three components. The first component, foundational measures for water security will build the foundations for water security in the country, thereby increasing targeted communities’ resilience to the climate change-induced threat of droughts and build readiness for major investments that duly consider current and foreseen climate change impacts. It consists of following sub-components: (i) strengthening national water resources investment planning; (ii) enhancing information services for water management; and (iii) enhancing regulation of dam operation and safety. The second component, addressing water crisis with catalytic investments aims to catalyze water security investments in the Morava e Binces basin that address the immediate challenges of water shortage and other risks exacerbated by climate change (erosion, rising temperatures, evapotranspiration rates, and so on), poor service delivery, and a single-sector approach to cross-cutting water security issues while embarking on an integrated water security agenda. It consists of following sub-components: (i) preparation of FLOWS investments; (ii) investments in water infrastructure and services addressing the water crisis; and (iii) people-centered water stewardship investments. The third component, project management will provide funding to contract professional and support staff to strengthen the project management team (PMT) to be established in the ministry of infrastructure and environment (MIE), facilitate its operations, and ensure that certain specialized tasks are professionally executed by people with the required background and knowledge, including professional staff, short-term experts, and support staff.The project includes investments for design and construction water supply and erosion control, on-farm modernization including micro-irrigation, watershed management, gauging stations, and noninfrastructure interventions such as upstream watershed protection through afforestation, forestry and... "With a view to improving the country’s water security, the project intends to reduce the climate change-exacerbated risks of droughts and floods risks. In doing so, the project contributes to pillar 3 of the CPF (2017–2021), ‘Promoting Reliable Energy and Stewardship of the Environment’, which aims to improve management of natural resources and address environmental contamination." biodiversity monitoring, sustainable local tourism development, and technical studies for forest and agricultural land improvement. These investments are likely to generate positive impacts on human population and environment in the project area. The project will contribute to improved water availability and increased water supply to meet domestic (urban and rural) water demand. Safe drinking water supply will positively impact human health of the project beneficiaries.