GWP Eastern Africa produces a quarterly newsletter, The Water Digest whose aim is communicating to our stakeholders about a series of activities geared towards a water secure and climate resilient region.
The Gambia officially launched a new Country Water Partnership (CWP) in 2011, joining the other 12 West African CWPs that have been formed since the beginning of GWP's activities in West Africa. Now, all countries in the region except Liberia and Sierra Leone have set up a CWP.
After some devastating floods in the Yangtze, the Chinese government took action and issued a policy to counter floods, including wetland restoration. WWF further assisted and developed four pilot sites to demonstrate the benefits of wetland restoration for biodiversity, and to seek alternative income options for farmers, based on the sustainable use of wetlands. This case illustrates the value of a participatory approach.
In Vietnam, there are two kinds of RBO; 1) The Management Board of River basin Planning (MBRBP), established and managed by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in a period from 1999-2001 in compliance with Law on Water Resources 1998. 2) The Committee for Environmental Protection of River Basin (CEPRB), established and also managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) during the time 2009-2010.
Rwanda is located in eastern Africa, and is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congoto the west, UgandaTanzania to the east, and Burundi to the south. It lies a few degrees south of the equator and is landlocked.
The second annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-II) is a key activity of the Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme which is organised jointly by the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). It provides a forum for dialogue and engagement with various stakeholders involved in climate and development in Africa.
The Africa Water Facility review mission to Burundi has concluded that the IWRM planning process has achieved its purpose and has recommended financial support to implement the plan. The mission also decided to use its experience in Burundi as a building block for other countries in Eastern Africa and transboundary water management.
With the introduction of IWRM, South Africa has shifted the design and implementation of water management to local institutions. This has created a demand for innovative methods for local stakeholders’ participation. Action was taken to introduce the participatory process Companion Modelling that is based on the use of simulation models and role playing games. Consequently, this case study illustrates new methods and tools that facilitate dialogue and improve decision-making skills of local stakeholders.
The Cuero River area is particularly susceptible to floods, making the communities living in the surrounding area vulnerable. This area was consequently chosen for implementation of an Early Warning System Project. Action was taken in three separate phases in three different areas. From the experience, the lesson learnt is that more effort should be devoted to training of a leader group that can promote and consolidate the system’s self-sufficiency.