The Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) Programme in the Mediterranean, a multi-stakeholder programme, with activities in water scarce insular communities in Greece, Malta, Cyprus and Italy, was ranked 2nd best out of 9 water showcases globally at the 7th World Water Forum in Korea.
The Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) and the Global Environment Facility’s Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (GEF-CReW) are collaborating to host the 10th Annual High Level Session (HLS) Ministerial Forum in The Bahamas on October 9th and 10th, 2014.
Name: Maria Amakali
Occupation: Director of Water Resources Management
Country: Namibia
Country of Work: Namibia and SADC
What would you say are the main challenges in your work as a woman?
I started working as hydrologist in the Department of Water Affairs in the early nineties. I had studied in the US and was ready to come and work in a newly independent Namibia. My responsibilities included planning and execution of research and investigations regarding sustainable development of water resources; and providing advice on the effective utilization, protection and conservation of such resources. At a time I found a lot of males, in the department. Except for the two women scientist in Hydrology Division, most women were doing mostly secretarial or office administrative work. I remember one day standing outside, waiting for my ride home and this man came to me asking whose secretary I was. In an independent Namibia, I was quite shocked that the old stereotype mentality that women can only be secretaries still exists. Those days there were not many women or black hydrologists, but I was still offended.
The West and Central Africa Programme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN / PACO) and the Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA) released today March 11, 2015 the names of the winners of the second edition of the "Water and Environment Journalism" competition.
The GWP Technical Committee has launched three new Technical Focus Papers and introduced a Background Paper. This took place at an event in Stockholm on 28 August. The event was live streamed and a recording of this will be available shortly.
Journalist and Station Manager at GTC Radio in Grenada, Mr. Milton Coy, has claimed the top spot in the 2013 Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) Media Awards on Water.
In Thailand the risk disaster early warning system has been designated by law to the department of the disaster prevention and mitigation. However, the representation of the department is only at the provincial level. The assistance from the department has been seen as not enough and not in time and communities were stimulated to recognize their own risk and the need to work together to solve or reduce the flood risk.
Decades of underinvestment led to poor water and wastewater services and low coverage in Manila. Due to this poor service, the government was unable to increase its water tariffs due to customers’ unwillingness to pay. This situation translated into very low cash flows for the government, thus leading again to the issue of underinvestment, which soon turned to a vicious cycle.
The GWP Technical Committee is launching three new Technical Focus Papers and introducing an upcoming Background Paper on 28 August in Stockholm. The event will be live streamed.