The overexploitation and pollution of water resources of the San Jeronimo River, together with agricultural developments and deforestation, have generated conflicts between bordering communities. To address these, the San Jeronimo Basin Committee was created, mantling the role as a negotiating body and with a mission to implement IWRM. The key lesson learnt is that for success, it is crucial that local organisations take their social responsibility.
“Water is a thread that runs through every development sector. The land and water of Sri Lanka is our oil and our gold… We can no longer afford to make water a sectoral matter. We cannot make it someone else’s business.” These were some of the comments made by Ms Kusum Athukorala, Chair of the Sri Lanka Water Partnership at a felicitation ceremony conducted to honour her achievement on receiving the bi-annual Women in Water Award presented by the International Water Association.
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.
Comment by Alex Simalabwi, Global Water Partnership Senior Network Officer and Climate Change Focal Point.
The Second Water Sustainability Summit was held 27 September 2012 in Chile and gathered more than 900 people. It brought together national key players and international experts to discuss actions towards national water sustainability.
The Lempa River is shared by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, making its management a good example of transboundary cooperation. To reach consensus, action was taken to develop a treaty as part of a regional process. However, since the treaty was not accompanied by strategies designed by local actors, it is somewhat weak. Nonetheless, this case illustrates that political willingness is crucial for advancing towards IWRM in transboundary watersheds.
Water security is a key issue for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to address in East African countries.
National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP) partner the Global Water Partnership (GWP), in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy Analysis in Africa (CEEPA- University of Pretoria) and other partners, is providing support a number of African countries to integrate the economics of adaptation in the context of water security and climate resilient development.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Global Water Partnership (GWP) have launched a joint Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) on March 13, 2013, to improve monitoring and prevention of one of the world’s greatest natural hazards.
Status Paper -Management of the extended Transboundary Drin Basin”. GWP-Med, Athens, 2008
Drin Basin:A Situation Analysis. GWP-Med, Athens, 2011
Memorandum of Understanding for the Management of the Extended Transboundary Drin Basin
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.