The Lake Victoria Basin is facing major ecological challenges stemming from unsustainable agriculture practices and deforestation, impacting the livelihoods of the local communities. Actions have been taken, including an action plan for management of the basin and the establishment of Lake Victoria Basin Commission, responsible for management initiatives. This case study provides insights into the link between policy formulation and implementation and enforcement. Especially, it demonstrates the importance of rooting the policies within the local communities.
In Costa Rica, action was taken to introduce water pricing to pay for services provided by forests in watershed areas. As a result, Costa Rica’s watershed owners are beginning to be rewarded for providing water, whether for drinking or for generating electricity. The main lesson is that initiatives that ensure local groups are included in the benefits of conservation are needed to involve them in helping to protect the water catchment areas.
Two-thirds of the Central American population lives in urban areas which is why GWP Central America, with the support of CapNet and LAWETNet, organized a regional workshop on Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) at the Pan-American School for Agriculture (Zamorano) in Honduras from 29 October to 1 November 2012. Participants included representatives of the six countries of the region from municipalities of major cities, water and sanitation agencies, and universities.
It is estimated that with 2.5 % of global landmass, India has 4% of the world’s freshwater resources. This has come under increasing demographic stress since India is home to about 16% of the global population. To build public awareness around water, the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government of India has created India Water Week as a platform for involving stakeholders.
GWP Armenia and GWP Turkmenistan have conducted several projects focused on schools. The purpose is to engage more young people in water resources management.
It is estimated that with 2.5 % of global landmass, India has 4% of the world’s freshwater resources. This has come under increasing demographic stress since India is home to about 16% of the global population. To build public awareness around water, the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government of India has created India Water Week as a platform for involving stakeholders.
Water Supply and Sanitation policy in Vietnam is regulated through policy and a regulatory framework. However, the rural sanitation sector have had limited success and management has failed to be scaled up. To address these issues the Problem-Driven Governance and Political Economy Analysis Good Practice Framework was used to analyse the poor performance. The most important lesson is that not all policies are appropriate for scaling up.
Management of the Upper Vistula basin is guided through the project Continuation of the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive, which is a joint French-Polish initiative. This project provides avenues for exchange of practical experiences between Polish and French partners, mobilises different stakeholders within basin borders. The most important lesson learned is to remember that documents should be transparent and comprehensible.