In India, air quality has been improving despite the COVID-19 lockdown

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India is home to some of the world’s most polluted cities. An unintended but welcomeshutterstock_761795974 consequence of the lockdown to contain the coronavirus has been improved air quality throughout the country.  Our assessment of India’s air quality trends has found another underlying and positive trend: air quality has been improving across the country since 2018, and this has nothing to do with the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Growing Threat of Air Pollution

Poor air quality has come to be recognized as a serious health risk and drag on economic development in India. Air quality has been deteriorating across the country since the 1990s, and in 2017 as much as 97 percent of the country’s population was estimated to be exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM2.5.  Though there are many types of air pollutants, these small particulates in the air, about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, are the most harmful to human health.  They can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream and cause deadly illnesses such as lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

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7 ways to help understand the world’s challenges in 2020—and have hope for the future

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Unprecedented, devastating, pervasive. No matter how you describe the COVID-19 KenyaLeaderpandemic, for billions around the world the virus has changed life as we knew it.  We are living through a remarkable period of history, one that will affect each of us for decades to come.

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eC2: DRC Resilience Program Impact Evaluation Baseline

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Deadline: 17-Aug-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)Survey

DIME is hiring a survey firm with experience in collecting impact evaluation survey data in Eastern DRC. The selected firm will be responsible for implementing an Impact Evaluation baseline survey in the North and South Kivu provinces of the country. The survey firm will be traveling to an estimated 100 villages and will be collecting data across approximately 1500 households, including data on their demographics, economic and social characteristics, food security, and other resilience related outcomes. The survey is expected to start in September 2020 provided COVID-19 guidelines are respected.

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eC2: Technical Assistance towards strengthening supply chain management of health products and technologies in selected counties

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Deadline: 20-Aug-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)medical-appointment-doctor-healthcare-clinic-health-hospital-medicine[7]

The Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Multi-Donor trust fund (MDTF) aims to enhance effectiveness in achieving sustainable RMNCAH results by strengthening the health systems and support progress towards universal health coverage. The overall objective of the MDTF supply chain management Technical Assistance for Health Products and Technologies (HPTs) is to build/strengthen HPT supply chain systems, with an emphasis on RMNCAH commodities, into efficient, effective, responsive and sustainable systems through the provision of targeted technical assistance and mentorship in 12 counties

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COVID-19 has put food out of reach for many. Can technology create a more sustainable food system?

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The short answer is yes. De-concentration, de-centralization and data are building blocks of a more sustainable food system post-COVID-19. Explore how in this in-depth analysis.

Free masks: A new initiative in the Central African Republic has seen the production of more than two million masks in just two months, looking to generate more than 1.6 million workdays and inject about $17 million into the local economy.

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eC2: Study of desalination challenges and opportunities

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Deadline: 20-Aug-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) sunrise-phu-quoc-island-ocean.jpg

The objective of the study is to present a comprehensive overview of the desalination efforts carried out in Morocco and desalination plans included in the sector medium and long-term planning documents, and to identify challenges and potential solutions for bringing private-sector to support government efforts to scale-up desalination in the country.

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Global Gas Flaring Jumps to Levels Last Seen in 2009

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WASHINGTON, July 21, 2020 — Estimates from satellite data show global gas flaring gasincreased to levels not seen in more than a decade, to 150 billion cubic meters (bcm), equivalent to the total annual gas consumption of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The 3% rise, from 145 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2018 to 150 bcm in 2019, was mainly due to increases in three countries: the United States (up by 23%), Venezuela (up by 16%), and Russia (up by 9%). Gas flaring in fragile or conflict-affected countries increased from 2018 to 2019: in Syria by 35% and in Venezuela by 16%, despite oil production flattening in Syria and declining by 40% in Venezuela.

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eC2: Preparation of Flood Hazard and Flood Risk Maps (FHRM) and Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMP) for Romania

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Deadline: 24-Aug-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) Bangladeshi villagers repair a vital flood-protecting embankment

The assignment aims to develop flood hazard and flood risk maps (FHRM) and flood risk management plans (FRMP) for all twelve Units of Management of Romania, i.e. for 11 river basins and for the Danube River, in line with the EU Floods Directive. Furthermore, the assignment also aims to develop a plan for measures that are to be taken nationally.

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eC2: Indonesia: policy recommendations on operationalization of a national urban flood resilience program and technical study on social inclusion

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Deadline: 13-Aug-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)floods

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, exposed frequently to a range of hazards. Floods dominate the natural hazard figures in most metropolitan areas, often accounting for almost half of all events occurred. Over sixty percent of Indonesias districts are exposed to a high risk of flooding, caused by a range of factors including rapid urbanization and poor construction practices; poor drainage design and insufficient (or infrequent) maintenance; increasing effects of climate change (e.g., sea level rise); and coastal infrastructure that needs upgrading. A balanced and cross-sectoral approach to urban flood risk management, encompassing both structural and non-structural measures and green infrastructure, is needed to address these challenges. Increased and systematic investments to reduce urban flood risk need to be integrated with urban development projects, as well as the institutionalization of a maintenance and improvements regime of urban drainage and flood infrastructure. Since 2018, the World Bank has been providing technical assistance to the government of Indonesia in support of a national urban flood resilience program that addresses the above.

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Social protection for migrants during the COVID-19 crisis: The right and smart choice

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The COVID-19 pandemic and the transmission control measures it has necessitated have migrants_blogabruptly halted the movement of people that characterizes our interconnected world. The implications are enormous for migrants, who rely on working away from home to support themselves, their families, and their communities. Many of them are now in conditions that put them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. The pandemic is also affecting critical sectors like agriculture where labor shortages are looming.

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