“Water is life, but water can also be a threat to life”. This was said by the Permanent Secretary in the former Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management (MWRDM) in a keynote speech read on his behalf at a Catchment and Sub-catchment consultation and action planning workshop. He further highlighted that water resources in Zimbabwe need to be treated with extreme care due to increased scarcity being brought about by the adverse effects of climate change.
Sixth meeting of Task Force on Water and Climate (Convention of the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 27 June 2013.
Over the last five years Pakistan has suffered three major floods. In 2010, the country experienced a super flood which devastated the country, with 2,200 people losing their lives. GWP Pakistan recently helped organise an international conference on flood forecasting.
Rapid urbanisation has led to widespread settlements of floodplains, resulting in widespread vulnerability of livelihoods. Since traditional approaches are no longer sufficient, a more integrated flood management approach was realised to adapt to changing social, hydrological, and environmental conditions along the nation’s major waterways. Furthermore, the Ministry of Water Resources prepared a national flood management strategy. The crucial lesson is that the key to flood risk management is learning to live with flood risks.
Communicatorsfrom the GWP regional offices are undergoing 4 days training in designing communication and knowledge management strategies in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava from 9-13th December 2013.
During the 7th Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) on 10-14 July 2016, GWP is participating in several gatherings to address urban water issues and cement future partnerships. GWP is a Supporting Organization of the SIWW.
Large scale projects in Slovakia caused negative effects in terms of biodiversity losses and reduced floodplain ecosystem functions. To combat this, a project “Integration of Ecosystem Management Principles and Practices into Land and water Management” of Laborec-Uh region was initiated. This case illustrates the importance of accounting for both biodiversity and economic returns when developing projects.
Climate Change is expected to have severe impacts on river discharges and water quality and quantity. In an effort to proactively find solutions to the current and future challenges of water, the project Environmental state and sustainable management of Hungarian-Slovakian transboundary groundwater bodies was initiated. The key lesson is the importance of evaluating all resources, including the links between groundwater and surface water.