The International Conference on Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin was jointly held by GWP China, Chinese Academy of Engineering, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Zhejiang University and State Key Laboratory of Basin Water Cycle Simulation and Regulation, on December 9 to 12, 2013 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
The Chilika Lagoon was subjected to environmental degradation. Action was taken by the Chilika Development Authority through the application of GIS and remote sensing tools for monitoring and assessment of the lagoon, resulting in significant improvement of the ecological health of the lagoon. The key lesson learnt is how a clear understanding of the coastal process and the river basin is essential for restoration of a coastal wetland.
In the race to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the role of small-scale WATSAN (water and sanitation) providers is indispensable. However, as this report "Small-scale finance for water and sanitation" claims, there is little awareness or cohesion among external support sgencies (ESAs), including EU donors, on the best way to increase financing for small-scale providers.
The inaugural meeting of the Technical Working Committee on WACDEP in Ghana was held on 19th September, 2013 at the International Water Management Institute Conference Room in Accra under the auspices of the Ghana Country Water Partnership.
GWP Kyrgyzstan organized a workshop on 22-23 March 2013 in Bishkek for university lecturers to help them understand how to use the GWP IWRM ToolBox in education. Supported by the GWP global secretariat, the workshop was attended by 15 participants, mainly professors of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and the National Agrarian University in Bishkek, the leading universities in preparing Kyrgyzstan’s water resources graduates.
There have been many dialogues and seminars on river pollution in the past 20 years or so. Generally everyone agrees that as a country, we desperately need to do something about the sad state of our rivers, especially when we hope to achieve developed nation status by 2020. However, we have not been successful in translating consensus at these forums into changes on the ground.
The Costa Rican government decided to revise its system of water use levy when it became evident that it was disproportionately low. Action was taken by key stakeholders to reconstruct a design of the water use levy to reflect two basic elements of water charge: water use rights and environmental water services. From this experience, the most important lesson is that political will must support legal and technical works when reforming economic instruments.
The GWP Eastern Africa holds the 18thOrdinary Regional Steering Committee (RSC) in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi from 18th-19th October 2013, Nairobi, Kenya.