The Youth H2O forum joined a number of stakeholders in commemorating World Water Day which fell on 22nd March 2016. The day was commemorated in two different places. The main event was held in Choma Southern province on the 21st March, and the other event was held in Lusaka at Mtendere Clinic.
The largest inner delta area with an almost natural status left in the entire Upper Danube Valley rests in the Szigetköz Region, Hungary. The Danube’s natural landscape in this area was characterized by continuously changing dead branches and side arms, beds changing their location, deteriorating and building islands and alluvial cones. As a result, the ecological environment and human settlements of the area were consistently destabilized. In 2011, the North-Transdanubian Water Directorate (EDUVIZIG) started a water infrastructure project entitled the “Ecological development of water supply system in the protected site and floodplain areas of Szigetköz”. This project shares valuable experience on how to restore the natural ecosystem while securing provision of drinking water and irrigation and enhancing flood protection mechanisms.
Each month, the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) National Section, hosts a public lecture in the area of water management under its “Professional Perspectives” series.
The Mauritius Youth Water Network (MYWN) is an association comprising youth from different organisations (government, NGOs and other civil society organisations). The MYWN was set up in June 2015 following a National Youth Forum during the SADC Water Week. The forum brought together youth leaders to develop a national action plan for the implementation of the AMCOW Policy and Strategy on Mainstreaming Youth in the Water and Sanitation Sector and SADC Youth Strategy.
International donors have poured money into developing Nepal’s irrigation infrastructures since the late-1950s, but results remain only partly successful. At present, irrigation infrastructures have been developed to serve 1.331 million ha but the irrigation potential is estimated to about 1.76 million ha. The Irrigation Water Resources Management Project is one of the latest international aid efforts aimed to developing the irrigation facilities while improving Nepal’s institutional framework pertaining to water infrastructure projects. The importance of adequate and timely finance, well-defined administrative roles and institutional capacity building are part of the key lessons learned from this project.
In the framework of strengthening partnership, established since 2007, between GWP-CAf and the University of Dschang, oriented towards providing technical support in the delivery of IWRM related courses at the university, GWP-CAf Staff offered course on Water and Socio-Economic Development, at the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, Ebolowa Campus, from 27th -29th of May 2016.
Since 2014, on the invitation of the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, GWP-CAf have been facilitating the delivery of the course on Water and Socio-Economic Development (LPEE 233) for 1st year students of the School at the University of Dschang satellite campus in Ebolowa, South Region in Cameroon.
The School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources is part of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Dschang.
Apart from making effort in re-establishing the partnership, Stakeholders in Tanzania have been involved in a number of activities. Recent activities have included:
The Tanzania Water Partnership (TWP) was launched in Feb 2004 as the 8th Country Water Partnership (CWP) in the Southern African Sub Region. By then, it was called CWP. However, there were only a few activities that were registered between 2004 and 2013. Sporadic efforts to keep and sustain the partnership did not yield much success and hence dormancy dominated most of this period.
In Sub Saharan Africa, climate change is worsening at an alarming rate. The situation on food security vis-à-vis water resources is serious and everyone has a responsibility to develop appropriate means to address the issue. Following national consultations in the led-up to the UN Committee on Food Security’s (UN CFS) 42nd session last year, 50 representatives from 9 countries across Africa met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 18-19 May to prepare for the next step; moving from identification to implementation (#WFEEnexus).
Coinciding with the meeting of the GWP Steering Committee (SC), a High Level Roundtable on Water Security and the SDGs was held in Yangon, Myanmar on May 24, 2016.