Nairobi, 10 November
2010 - To support improved water security
in Sudan at a time of heightened concern
over the potential consequences of prolonged
drought, a high-level Sudanese delegation
visited South Africa last week to study
water management facilities.
The visit, arranged
by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) in conjunction with the South African
Water Research Commission, gave senior Sudanese
officials concrete examples of how to tackle
the sustainable development, allocation
and monitoring of water resources.
The study tour is part
of UNEP's efforts to introduce new thinking
into water resource management in Sudan,
initially in Darfur, and achieve a long-term,
integrated approach in conjunction with
the government, civil society and other
stakeholders.
The Darfur region has
a high variability in water resources and
80 percent of Darfurians are dependent on
rainfall and other environmental resources
for their livelihoods.
The provision of water
is a challenge across much of northern Sudan,
but in Darfur, the displacement of over
two million people has put unique stress
on aquifers and compounded the region's
chronic vulnerability to drought.
A serious drought in
the current context could have devastating
consequences and cause considerable social
upheaval, despite the diligent efforts of
public water corporations and international
actors who have been building dams and installing
wells and deep boreholes to supply water
where it is scarce in Darfur.
Against this backdrop,
the study tour for Sudanese officials included
presentations on such topics as sustainable
water supply; coordination mechanisms between
government departments; the effects of climate
change; discussions on water laws and policies
in South Africa; inspections of modern ranches
and citrus farms to view irrigation facilities
and meetings with farmers and irrigators.
The delegation included
the Speaker of the Legislation Council of
West Darfur, Mr Mustafa Mohamed Ishag; the
Under-Secretary of Sudan's Ministry of Irrigation
and Water Resources, Mr Adam Abbakar Bashir
Mohammed; the Minister of Agriculture for
South Darfur State, Dr Ibrahim Adam Ahmed
El- Dukheri; the Minister of Urban Planning
and Public Utilities, Mr Elfatih Abdelaziz
Abdelnabi Adam; the Minister of Water Resources
and Environment for South Darfur, Mr Hassan
Mohamed Kaskous Bilal; the Minister of Agriculture
for North Darfur, Ms Hawa Suliman Husain
Easa; and the Minister of Urban Planning
and Public Utilities for West Darfur, Mr
Mohammed Musa Ahmed Abdalla.
In a joint statement
issued via UNEP in Cape Town, the speaker
and five ministers recognized the similarities
between Sudan and South Africa and said
the visit would be a good base for future
interaction and collaboration.
"The drought management
steps and efforts taken by South Africa
will provide clear guidelines and a roadmap
to be followed by the Sudanese team as drought
has been the norm and not the exception
in Sudan," the ministers said.
"The issues related
to water management, including policies
and legislation, are critical to Sudan as
there are lessons to be learned and good
practices to be followed," their statement
said.
This is the second learning
exchange of its kind facilitated by UNEP.
In May this year, UNEP arranged for water
engineers from the Darfur states and national
departments to visit South Africa to review
drought management strategies in the Eastern
and Southern Cape.
The tour yielded valuable
lessons and potential areas for collaboration
and prompted the development of a shared
vision across the Darfuri water sector.
It also created major political support
for integrated water resource management
and was considered so valuable that UNEP
was asked to plan a follow-up visit for
high-level stakeholders to improve their
understanding of water-security issues and
potential solutions.
"The South African
Government has made great strides with water
management, and this tour has brought good
connections and enabled the Sudanese officials
to see what South Africa has been able to
achieve," UNEP's Sudan Programme Manager,
Robin Bovey, said.
"This exchange
was about bringing many of the key Sudanese
decision-makers together to observe, learn
and take away recommendations for overcoming
the major challenges associated with the
sustainable development and management of
water resources in Darfur in particular,"
Mr Bovey said.
The five-day exchange,
which concluded on Friday, was funded by
the Italian Government.
The need to examine
the sustainable use of water resources in
Sudan was plainly stated in UNEP's Post
Conflict Environmental Assessment in 2007.
Supported by the UK
Department for International Development,
UNEP has since developed an Integrated Water
Resource Management initiative, focused
on the Darfur region, which includes a programme
of dams and capacity building to support
water resource management and drought contingency
planning in camps, rural areas and cities.
The efforts of government
departments, UNEP, UNICEF, the UN Office
for Project Services (UNOPS) and others
involved in promoting improved water supply
security is reaping rewards. For example,
there is increased investment in urban water
supplies. The National Public Water Corporation
has worked with a range of partners to draft
the first joint water management plans for
each state for 2010 and the Golo Dam rehabilitation
is another contribution to the drought resilience
of Darfuri settlements.
UNEP has a country presence
in Sudan and works with government institutions
at all levels, civil society and the international
community to influence long-term change
in environmental practices. These efforts
are part of UNEP's Disasters and Conflicts
priority area, through which the organization
seeks to help countries minimize the threats
to human well-being from the environmental
causes and consequences of disasters and
conflicts.
Integrated Water Resource
Management (IWRM)
Integrated water resources
management is a systematic process for the
sustainable development, allocation and
monitoring of water resource use in the
context of social, economic and environmental
objectives.
Having reviewed
hydrological data and consulted widely within
the water sector in Sudan for several years,
UNEP's leadership on an integrated water
resource management includes capacity building
for water resource managers and decision
makers.
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