Air and Water Pollution Management Program

Project Summary:

The project aimed to curb air and water pollution and grow a green economy. Every year in Egypt, up to 20,000 people die prematurely because of air pollution—much of it from the burning of agricultural and municipal waste, transportation sources, and industry. Water pollution is also a growing concern for economic growth and health, with most of it coming from industrial effluent; agricultural fertilizers, pesticides, and organic materials; and untreated sewage. It turns out that only 12 percent of rural villages are served by sewage networks connected to treatment plants. This World Bank KGGTF-funded green growth implementation program aims to curb air and water pollution by improving access to sanitation and sewage treatment and limiting agricultural run-off and the burning of waste. An economic inquiry would assess the cost of environmental degradation in Egypt. And a subsequent environmental analysis would identify pollution sources, helping the government prioritize work on key policy reforms and investments to reduce air, water, and land pollution. Options include the introduction of new composting technologies, biomass production, and economical solutions for sewage treatment. The end result: enhanced rural agricultural incomes, improved health, and a country ready to face impending water shortages

List of Activities:

• COED and poverty and vulnerability distribution
• Technological options for agricultural pollution and waste burning  and rural sanitation
• Technical assistance and building capacity to Ministries of Environment and Planning to develop a National Account and initiate towards Computable General Equilibrium Model incorporating air and water pollution

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• COED for Egypt updated 

Output 2:

• Identification, prioritization and analysis of viable and scalable options in agricultural and rural sanitation to deal with air, water and land pollution. 

Output 3

• Policy Notes for strengthening national accounts with wealth and natural capital accounting for air and water pollution 
• Policy Notes, initiate CGE model development.

Outcomes:

The activity led  to updating the Costs of Environmental Degradation in Egypt and built the capacity of the Ministry of Environment in environmental economics; Methodology for introducing air and water environmental services in Egypt National Accounts developed, and capacity built in the Ministry of Planning and Computable General Equilibrium model developed, validated and calibrated that incorporates air and water pollution management. Outcomes were also the identification, viability testing and prioritization of technological options to deal with air pollution coming from agricultural waste burning and technological innovative and cost effective options for rural sanitation which can be scalable all throughout Egypt and the wider region. The activity was integrated with the Bank operations ongoing for rural sanitation.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• WBG internal partners:

Water Global Practice, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice. Agriculture Global Practice, Transport and ICT Global Practice

• Other external partners:

Pollution Management and Environmental Health Trust Funds (set up as a Multi-donor Trust Fund with five donors expected to contribute, including Korea, and Norway already signed the agreement). Egypt considered as potential host country.