Climate change and the increasing number of competing water users have led to the overexploitation of the Pangani river basin resources. Action has been taken to establishing environmental, economic and social implications of different river flow scenarios under expected climatic conditions. This helped to prioritize the allocation of water resources to meet basic human needs and those of ecosystems. The main lesson learnt was that providing a platform for dialogue between key stakeholders and increasing knowledge about the climatic variability and future risk are essential for successful water management solutions.
The Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM) is a joint initiative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Global Water Partnership (GWP). It promotes the concept of Integrated Flood Management (IFM). The programme has been financially supported by the governments of Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The APFM is being developed as a series of regional nodes, starting with Central Europe, South America, Central America, Southern Africa and South Asia.
The New Senior Managers of Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat notably Engineer Teferra Beyene Asfaw, the Executive Secretary and Ms. Dorothy Kaggwa, Head of Strategic Planning and Management were briefed on the Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa (GWPEA) programmes, activities and working framework.
A one day sensitization workshop took place on 30 July 2013 in Banjul, Gambia. The meeting brought together about twenty (20) journalists from various media houses and freelance journalists from The Gambia with the aim to inform participants on the ratification process of the UN 97 Law on the use of international watercourses for purposes other than navigational in the country.
Karachi was characterised by inadequate water and sanitation services and wasteful and injudicious use of water by consumers. To address these issues, the Karachi Water Partnership was formed as a platform for collective action by all concerned stakeholders to better manage water resources through IWRM. The experience illustrates that there can be great value in simply improving the existing delivery mechanisms as a compliment to the implementation of new ideas.
NATURE 2000 comprises a designation of nature sites of EU importance. However, after consultations with water managers, it became clear that NATURE 2000 sites located in the river valleys imposed new challenges for water resources management. Action was taken by GWP-Poland and WWF-Poland to find solutions. The project demonstrates that multi-stakeholder dialogue is a basic requirement for the solution of problems involving different perspectives and priorities.
A joint GIZ, African Union Commission (AUC) and GWP study tour covered the topic of “Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in the German Water Sector” in Berlin in June. The participants were from the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and the training provided a closer look at effective climate adaptation measures in the German water sector.
The Global Water Partnership (GWP) Sponsoring Partners announced the appointment of Prof Lučka Bogataj among 5 new members for the GWP Steering Committee on 28 August.