This spring the University of Manchester will offer a new Massive Online Open-Access Course (MOOC) on water and sanitation policy in developing countries. The course starts May 26th and is free and open to everyone. The GWP Technical Committee has endorsed this MOOC.
“Building resilience of people, communities and countries to these water-related disasters and extreme climate events is the major challenge of our time, as climate change will get worse before it gets better,” were the closing words of the speech given by the GWP Chair Dr Ursula Schaefer-Preuss at the first meeting of the High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) on 4 June 2013 in Tokyo, Japan.
Currently, water resources management in irrigation and drought, flood management are effecting greatly by climate change. Learning and disseminating of related information systematically will help facilitate the adjustment of water resources management of responsible agencies in time and responsive to the changing situation. Evidences from climate change on watershed ecosystem are obvious and diversified, for example, irrigated water insufficiency, disasters from floods, landslide, and drought. Data and information about these are available with consulting firms or line agencies. To be more effective in dealing with these problems, local stakeholders and the RBC should have sufficient knowledge to fully and equally participate in the process. Thus the RBC and local stakeholders’ capacity will be strengthened in monitoring of the IWRM, especially in the critical river basins.
GWP took part in the fith Africa Water Week held in Dakar from 26 to 31 May 2014. There were four sub themes (1. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene : Partnerships, Innovations, and Investements- Post-2015 ; 2. Water Resources Management for Sustainable Development ; 3 : Waste water Management and Water quality ; 4 : Water and Disaster Risk Management) and GWP was one of the lead conveners in Sub themes 2 and 3 and co-conveners in sub theme 4.
In addition to all presentations made, GWP had an exhibition booth which was well visited by participants for documentation. Many GWP Africa regions brought some documentation to add to Global documentation.
The Strengthening Institutions of Transboudary Water in Africa (SITWA), a GWP/ANBO programme hosted by OMVS also invited its partner RBOs who brought some documentation exhibited at GWP booth.
Senegal PM (purple) visits GWP booth in company of AMCOW interim Chair and ANBO Chair
Participants visit GWP booth for documentation
GWP booth receives visitors
Unsustainable irrigation policies during the Soviet era have had devastating consequences for the Aral Sea. With the collapse of USSR, the riparian states took action and entered into agreement on Cooperation in the Joint Use and Protection of Water Resources of Interstate Significance. Furthermore, the international community took action and much attention has been devoted to re-establish the Aral Sea ecosystem. This case illustrates the importance of engaging all key stakeholders.
In the River Basin District of the CEE region, the countries are cooperating to develop transboundary management, using the International River Basin Commission as a platform. The aim is to address national IWRM priorities, strengthen cooperation with major stakeholders and initiate changes in policies and legislation. This case illustrates the difficulties to balance national priorities in a transboundary context.
Half of the land area of Tien Giang Province in Vietnam is exposed to annual floods and the other half to saline intrusion. Action was taken to formulate the National RWSS Strategy and efforts were made to make local communities aware of methods and approaches in harvesting water and well drilling that are cost effective and sustainable in their development. The key lesson is the value of appropriate planning prior to any project.