The winner of the first IRF European River Prize is the Rhine River. The winner was announced at the European River Restoration Conference in Vienna on 12 September 2013. GWP is one of the organisers and financial sponsors of the prize.
The countries in Southern Africa are at very different stages of implementing Integrated Water Resource Management, and have different experiences in this regard. It is, at this point, useful to take stock of the process and to examine opportunities for improved IWRM implementation in the various countries. The GWP SA, supported by the African Development Bank (through the Multi-donor Water Partnership Programme), put in place a project to examine the status of IWRM implementation in southern Africa and to develop recommendations for the way forward. Access the individual country IWRM reports:
How to improve the management of invisible resource? Bring your ideas!
GWP India has supported the formation of five local Water Management Committees in the district of Bihar.
A major characteristic of the water-climate scenario in Eastern and North-Eastern India is the frequency of droughts and floods following each other in succession. In such an environment, low cost water-saving technologies for farmers and other water users becomes essential.
As part of its long-term commitment to contribute to the building of confidence and cooperation between countries that make up the Himalayan river basins, GWP Nepal participated in a workshop on the Himalayan Sub-Regional Cooperation for Water Security.
The overexploitation and pollution of water resources of the San Jeronimo River, together with agricultural developments and deforestation, have generated conflicts between bordering communities. To address these, the San Jeronimo Basin Committee was created, mantling the role as a negotiating body and with a mission to implement IWRM. The key lesson learnt is that for success, it is crucial that local organisations take their social responsibility.
Oil-shale mining and oil-shale based electricity production has caused serious damage to ground and surface water in the Viru-Peipsi catchment area in Estonia. Action was taken to enhance the protection of the water resources through a project that set out a management plan. The project included data collection, monitoring and capacity building. Due to the success of this project, it can be used as an example for future developments.
NATURE 2000 comprises a designation of nature sites of EU importance. However, after consultations with water managers, it became clear that NATURE 2000 sites located in the river valleys imposed new challenges for water resources management. Action was taken by GWP-Poland and WWF-Poland to find solutions. The project demonstrates that multi-stakeholder dialogue is a basic requirement for the solution of problems involving different perspectives and priorities.