USAID’s Enhance Climate Resiliency and Water Security in the Maldives Project: Quarterly Performance Report (October-December 2012)

The project, scheduled to be completed on September 30, 2015, has a budget of $7.1 million and is primarily focused on assisting the Government of the Maldives (GoM), particularly the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEE). Additional stakeholders include residents and island councils of two northern islands, Hinnavaru and Dhidhdhoo, targeted to become "climate resilient islands" with USAID assistance. The project's objective is to demonstrate processes and outcomes that will enable island communities to prepare for climate variability. To achieve this, Maldives GCC will build capacity at the central and local government levels for integrated strategic planning of island resources and infrastructure. Additionally, the project will build capacity among island residents, local government bodies, central and local utilities, and engender adaptive management at each level. Maldives GCC is the second major USAID initiative in the Maldives, following a $12 million relief and reconstruction effort after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The six-year gap between the initial USAID initiative and the current project has required extensive re-familiarization among project implementers and GoM counterparts with USAID objectives and priorities. During the October-December 2012 quarter, activities under the Maldives GCC project focused on finalizing technical assessment reports and summarizing findings and recommendations in the Preliminary Assessment Report (PAR). The project also gained concurrence from USAID and MEE on the concepts and recommendations in the PAR and completed the project's Year 2 Work Plan. Planning for the implementation of Year 2 activities was underway, based on the PAR recommendations and the Work Plan. Under Task 1, all outstanding reports were finalized and submitted to USAID, including the PAR, which summarized all studies conducted during the first year and made key recommendations to address conditions on the ground with sound engineering and sustainable demonstration practices. A meeting was held on December 17 with the objective of reaching agreement between USAID, MEE, and Chemonics on the substance of the project going forward based on the findings and recommendations of the PAR. However, agreement was not reached, and Chemonics is awaiting the outcome of current discussions between USAID and MEE regarding the specific direction the project will take. Under Task 2, conversations continued with the newly formed national utility company, FENAKA. It was clear that organizational assistance would be beneficial, as well as training on strategic and financial planning specific to the utility sector, transparent rate structuring for bundled or individual services, and creating a comprehensive billing and collections system and a large-scale facilities management system. Such assistance is detailed in the Year 2 Work Plan and will be scheduled for the second quarter. Under Task 3, the project launched a comprehensive community awareness program that will continue throughout the project. Workshops will be held on each island for community members and school children to enhance island residents' skills, knowledge, and understanding of the impacts of climate change on their island and their roles in effecting appropriate mitigation of those impacts. Under Task 4, construction documents for a rainwater storage expansion project in Dhidhdhoo have gone out to bid, and designs for a solid waste management facility in Hinnavaru are underway. Additional Task 4 activities are on hold while USAID and MEE determine the specific activities appropriate for this project.