From 22- 23 October 2015, the Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa (GWPEA) conducted a regional workshop themed “ Role of the media in promoting water security, climate resilience and drought risk management”. The workshop was attended by 15 media practitioners from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Malawi is launching its NAP Process by holding the first ever NAP stakeholder consultations to be supported by the Global Water Partnership in association with the NAP-GSP.
Scientific and estuarine research on the Chesapeake Bay pinpointed several areas that required attention including nutrient over-enrichment, dwindling underwater Bay grasses, and toxic pollution. Action was taken and the Chesapeake Bay Commission was established to address the issues. This case illustrates how the use of modelling can be a cost-effective tool in helping to implement watershed restoration actions and monitor goals set by stakeholders.
The Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) will have a strong presence at the 7th World Water Forum in Daegu and Gyeongju, in South Korea, on April 12-17, 2015.
Suriname has taken a major step to manage its water resources by launching the country’s first Water Forum on 12 December 2012. The forum aims to promote an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach as the means of attaining water sustainability, as well as fostering regional and international partnerships with stakeholders sharing a common objective of sustainability.
An e-module on IWRM was launched in 2012 after a lengthy a collaboration between several German institutions that had identified a gap in the field of integrated water resources management education. The development of the module continues, with GWP as a potential “catalyst” to generate further interest in the module.
Rapid urbanisation has led to widespread settlements of floodplains, resulting in widespread vulnerability of livelihoods. Since traditional approaches are no longer sufficient, a more integrated flood management approach was realised to adapt to changing social, hydrological, and environmental conditions along the nation’s major waterways. Furthermore, the Ministry of Water Resources prepared a national flood management strategy. The crucial lesson is that the key to flood risk management is learning to live with flood risks.
The online registration and the call for papers and proposals for the 5th Africa Water Week is now open. The deadline for papers and proposals is March 22nd 2014. The 5th Africa Water Week will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 26th to 31st of May 2014. Overall theme: Placing Water at the Heart of the Post 2015 Development Agenda!
Oil-shale mining and oil-shale based electricity production has caused serious damage to ground and surface water in the Viru-Peipsi catchment area in Estonia. Action was taken to enhance the protection of the water resources through a project that set out a management plan. The project included data collection, monitoring and capacity building. Due to the success of this project, it can be used as an example for future developments.
GWP SA joined approximately 38 other stakeholders on 12-13 March 2014 at the Lombardy Hotel in Pretoria in absorbing discussions that looked at Water Research Impact and Uptake. The workshop was hosted by the Water Resource Commission and the International Water Management Institute, Southern Africa to chiefly explore the complexities and responsibilities of research impact and uptake.