Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Maldives to Manage Climate-Change Induced Water Shortages

The interim evaluation of the GCF project FP007 in the Maldives finds the project generally on track, with a 'moderately satisfactory' rating for its overall objective. The project aims to provide safe freshwater to 105,000 people by scaling up integrated water supply systems (rainwater, groundwater, and desalination). While infrastructure construction for rainwater harvesting (RWH) and integrated water resource management (IWRM) systems is advancing, the evaluation notes that targets for groundwater recharge and consumption are unrealistic for the project's timeframe. Initial implementation was hampered by political transitions and procurement delays, but financial delivery improved significantly in 2019. Sustainability is rated as 'moderately likely,' contingent on the government's commitment to operation and maintenance (O&M) budgets and the ability of utilities to recover costs.

• The project's overall objective is rated as 'moderately satisfactory' and is considered on track, with RWH and IWRM systems in the final phase of completion for 29 islands.
• Targets for groundwater quality and recharge (Output 3) are deemed unrealistic for the project's short implementation period, as current aquifer contamination prevents immediate use.
• The number of target islands for rainwater harvesting (RWH) was reduced from 45 to 25 due to cost escalation caused by design changes, higher transport costs, and sector-specific inflation in the Maldives.
• Financial delivery was very slow in the first two years (58.5% in 2017 and 34.2% in 2018) but improved to 76.8% by Q3 2019, bringing the project 'back on track'.
• Sustainability is rated as 'moderately likely,' with risks identified regarding political volatility and the transfer of water infrastructure mandates to the Ministry of National Planning and Infrastructure.
• The project's Gender Action Plan (GAP) was updated in August 2019 to be more realistic, but it currently lacks a dedicated budget and staff at the Project Management Unit (PMU).
• The project has successfully published the Potable Water Security Plan in August 2019 and is supporting the Maldives Meteorological Service (MMS) to expand its automatic weather station network.
• The project's external communication is underdeveloped, with a need for better visibility through social media and the creation of knowledge products for a broader audience.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2019). Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Maldives to Manage Climate-Change Induced Water Shortages. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp007-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Maldives to Manage Climate-Change Induced Water Shortages. 2019. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp007-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Maldives to Manage Climate-Change Induced Water Shortages |date=13 November 2019 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp007-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2019supporting, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Maldives to Manage Climate-Change Induced Water Shortages}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp007-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }