Building Linkages for Water Security and Climate Change Resilience in Zimbabwe
Key government institutions such as the Department of Water Affairs, including its parent Ministry, the Ministry of Water Resource Development and Management (MWRDM), played prominent roles at the launch of the Water and Climate Development Programme (WACDEP)in Harare, Zimbabwe, on the 10-11 April 2013, with over 70 stakeholders gathered.
More than twenty (20) stakeholders in St. Lucia from Ministries of Public Utilities and Finance and other government agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, water and wastewater managers, legal practitioners, among others were trained in the area of Water Financing in a workshop held in St. Lucia on May 28th and 29th, 2013 put on by the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) and the National Water and Sewerage Commission (NWSC) of St. Lucia.
The China Office of UKDFID organized a Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Development on October 26, 2010 in Beijing.
The sixth SADC Multi-Stakeholder Water Dialogue was held on 1-2 October 2013 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia. The dialogue was sponsored by DANIDA and other cooperating partners (German Cooperation, Australian Aid, UK Aid).
Building Linkages for Water Security and Climate Change Resilience in Zimbabwe
Key government institutions such as the Department of Water Affairs, including its parent Ministry, the Ministry of Water Resource Development and Management (MWRDM), played prominent roles at the launch of the Water and Climate Development Programme (WACDEP)in Harare, Zimbabwe, on the 10-11 April 2013, with over 70 stakeholders gathered.
Wastewater from a community of 10,000 is now being treated in a wastewater pond system, enabling the water to be used for irrigation and preventing land degradation and the pollution of underground water.
The Lake Atitlán basin experiences serious problems of water pollution, soil erosion and forest and biodiversity losses. Action was taken to establish the Authority for the Sustainable Management of the Atitlán Basin. However, barriers such as lack of public participation, institutional coordination and investment funds have only ensured limited success. The key lesson learnt is that the main barriers to an integrated management of water resources in the basin are strongly interlinked.
The Kumbo water supply system has always had contested ownership claims. After decades of protest, action was taken and management was transferred to Kumbo Urban Council, resulting in the establishment of an inclusive and participatory community water governance structure. From this, the lesson can be learnt that the command and control paradigm can provoke social and political instability. The case also demonstrates how community based platforms can enhance community mobilisation and participatory governance.
The Lake Basin Development Authority was set up to manage the entire catchment area of all rivers draining into Lake Victoria. However, its performance was not to the expectation. A further, action was taken to decentralise management and priority was given to achieve access to basic water requirements for the poor, as well as quality of water and improving availability of water for livestock and irrigation. The key lesson learnt is the importance of a participatory approach.
Thanks to an innovative partnership between the Global Water Partnership and the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science, under the auspices of UNESCO, based at the University of Dundee, the first joint group of International Water Law Scholars from Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Ukraine and Zambia were able to begin their studies by attending the 2nd Annual Workshop on International Law and Transboundary Freshwaters, held at the University of Dundee.