Due to substantial population growth putting increased pressure on the water resources, their quality has started to deteriorate. This is perceived as a serious issue since water is inseparably linked with the socio, economical and cultural aspects of livelihoods. Action was taken through an integrated lake conservation programme, aiming to improve water quality. The most important lesson learnt is that awareness raising, education and stakeholder participation are essential.
A training program on “Training of Trainers (ToT) on IWRM Practices for District Level Water Managers” was organised by the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), with financial assistance from Bangladesh Water Partnership (BWP) and South-west Area Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management Project (SWAIWRPMP). The training program was held from 9th to 14th June 2012
The Gambia officially launched a new Country Water Partnership (CWP) in 2011, joining the other 12 West African CWPs that have been formed since the beginning of GWP's activities in West Africa. Now, all countries in the region except Liberia and Sierra Leone have set up a CWP.
The Great Ruaha River is important in terms of the utilisation of its water for agriculture, meeting the ecological needs, and the generation of hydroelectric power. During the early nineties, a series of zero flows in this previously perennial river alerted the authorities to hydrological and environmental change. A project was initiated to investigate the reasons and possible solutions. This case illustrates the critical role and benefits of long-term, large-scale, interdisciplinary research in approaching complex problems.
The “Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to Water Resources Management” was launched by UN-Water on 19 June 2012 at Rio+20 with GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng as one of the panelists. This Status Report, prepared by UNEP in collaboration with UNDP and GWP, is one of the official UN reports to the Rio+20 conference, and is based on a survey of countries carried out in 2011. GWP facilitated the completion of level 1 and 2 surveys through the Regional and Country Water Partnerships, and is very proud to have been a partner in this endeavour.
The annual Global Water Partnership Consulting Partners Meeting will be held in Stockholm on August 26, 2012 immediately prior to the Stockholm World Water Week. The theme of this year's meeting will be “Water security as a catalyst for climate-resilient development”
In December, GWP Honduras helped organise a workshop on IWRM to contribute to the development of the annual plan for the management of rural water systems in southern Honduras.
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.