In March 2004, the IPTRID Secretariat and officials from the World Bank were discussing how best to utilize the financial resources allocated by the Bank to the Programme as part of their yearly support. At the same time, the Bank was engaged in conversations with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt on how to strengthen the ongoing preparations for the Integrated Irrigation Improvement and Management Project (IIIMP). Thus, it followed naturally that IPTRID was asked to take part in this process. There was, however, a time constraint since any activity undertaken by IPTRID had to be proposed - and implementation had to be underway - before the end of the Bank's 2003 fiscal year, only a few months away.
The Secretariat decided to take up the challenge and requested two of its Consultants, Mr Wilfried Hundertmark and Mr Maher Salman, to look into this matter. An activity was then designed in two phases: a) A Rapid Assessment Study of irrigation and drainage development in Egypt; particularly focussing on the appropriateness of utilizing the participatory and multi-disciplinary conceptual framework, known as DrainFrame, developed by Bank staff and; b) A Stakeholder Workshop in which the findings of the study would be presented and discussed involving broad participation. The proposal was well received and the three parties Egypt, the World Bank and IPTRID decided to proceed. However, one more hurdle had to be surmounted: the funds allocated by the Bank to IPTRID could not cover the total cost of the proposed activities. Once again, the Secretariat decided to overcome this constraint. Besides the Bank, the Secretariat drew funds and human resources from the United Kingdom Department of International Development (DFID); the FAO, through its Regional Office for the Near East (FAO/RNE) and its partner HR Wallingford. In this way, and within a very limited time frame, the Secretariat managed to design and piece together a rather complex activity.
From 26 May to 19 June 2004, a team composed of six international and five national consultants, under IPTRID leadership, conducted the Rapid Assessment Study in the Mahmoudia command area located in the northwest part of the Nile Delta in Beheira governorate, Egypt. Utilizing the DrainFrame approach the following principal steps were taken: (a) initial analysis of the current problematic situation; (b) function-oriented identification of landscapes and land and water control systems; (c) value-oriented stakeholder assessment; (d) participatory assessment of problems and opportunities; (e) participatory analysis of anticipated changes; (f) participatory impact assessment and (g) institutional appraisal.
The second phase, the Stakeholders Workshop, took place in Borg Elarab near the project area, from 6 to 9 October in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and the Irrigation and the Drainage Research Institute (DRI). The high level workshop brought together nearly fifty participants including high-ranking government and non-government officials. Particular attention was given to the participation of local stakeholders from Ministry districts, water user organizations and water boards. Representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Environment and Water Supply and Sanitation were among the participants.
While I will leave it to the reader to appraise the methodology and quality of the activities undertaken, as well as to judge the importance and relevance of the results, it is sufficient to say that IPTRID has received several expressions of satisfaction from both Egyptian and Bank professionals on the job done. In fact, it has been announced by the Head of the Minister's Office that a task force team is to be established to propose how the study findings can be fully and rapidly incorporated into the IIMP process.
As a final note, I would like to thank again all the eleven members of the study team. Their names are not reproduced here as they are dully recognized elsewhere in the document. Likewise, I must again thank the World Bank, the various donors involved and the Egyptian institutions and professionals that were associated, in their various ways, with the study. Finally, special thanks are due the IPTRID Secretariat support staff: Edith Mahabir and Giulia Bonanno di Linguaglossa, who bore the brunt of the rushed activities in preparation of this Final Report.
Carlos Garcés-Restrepo
IPTRID
Programme Manager
Rome, 1 June 2005 v
