Papers WIS 6

SAWINET: Sharing of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) information and experience in Southern Africa

The Southern African Water Information Network (SAWINET) is a web- based source (www.sawinet.org) of IWRM information specifically designed to meet the IWRM information needs of the southern African water sector. It is a demand-driven network that currently focuses on legislation and policies, water sector reform, catchment management issues, prevention of conflict over water use. Since this network is demand driven after a stakeholder analysis they was a great demand for information on Gender Mainstreaming in IWRM and the network is looking at collecting information on this.

Read more or download Takawira__16.pdf (234.1 kB)

Siagua, an operational Spanish-speaking network in the field of water knowledge in America (Leticia Martinez Etayo)

SIAGUA (Sistema Iberoamericano de Información sobre el Agua), in English Latin American Water Information System, is not a simple data or information transfer tool but a real knowledge management system that envisages helping the decision support procedures on water in the 20 member countries.

Read more or download Etayo__10.pdf (123.7 kB)

The GLOBal Water Information NETwork (GLOBWINET) - Critical aspects of a net-based information system (Andrew Takawira and Wolf-Ruger Winnegge)

GLOBWINET is an Associated Programme of the Global Water Partnership. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ). GLOBWINET provides an internet based, shared database on information related to River Basin organisations, Water Policy and Legislation, Water Sector Reform, Catchment Management and Prevention of Conflict over Water use. Three core information objects are interlinked: PEOPLE, ORGANISATIONS and MATERIALS. GLOBWINET is designed as a decentralised network.

Read more or download Winnegge__18.pdf (165.1 kB)

The impact of hydrological information services on integrated water resources management and development: Niger river (Engr. I.A. Olomoda)

River Niger is the third longest river in Africa and 9th in the World with total length of about 4,200 km. Its initial catchment area of about 2,100,000 sq Km covering 10 Countries namely Algeria, Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Chad, Cote D'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, has now being reduced to an active catchment area of about 1,500,000, without Algeria, as a result of the effect of climatic and Sahara movement southwards. In 1963, the 9 Countries now covered by the river basin, formed the River Niger Commission (RNC), with the view of fostering cooperation among members states in use and management of the basin resources. The RNC was changed to the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) in 1980 with additional mandate towards enhancing integrated water resources management and development of the basin, among others.

Read more or download Olomoda__32.pdf (703.9 kB)

The important role of the press and media in promoting water information dissemination in Cameroon (Rosemary Enie)

The Blue Revolution can accelerate water/environmental complaince by providing an infomation base for understanding water problems and identifying opportunity for water management, treatment, and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Cameroon. In this study the aim is to strengthen the media and press in Cameroon with revelant information and data from various stakeholders in Cameroon to enable them play an important role in responding and building upon the growing interest of the public in water information dissemination and education as a key to sustainable development in Cameroon.

Read more or download Enie__39.pdf (70.9 kB)

The potential and use of electronic conferencing - a study of women's involvement in a global context (Julie Fisher)

In many organisations, both in the North and the South, online and email communication is becoming essential to their activities, for lobbying and advocacy, education and training, policy intervention and knowledge sharing. In the development arena, electronic conferencing is used increasingly as a means of exchanging views and experience, reaching a potentially global audience.

This paper provides an analysis of subscription and participation rates by gender and region for six e-conferences which focussed on WSS issues. It raises some of the questions about why differential rates of access and participation exist for men and women, and identifies some of the disincentives that exist against women's participation.

Read more or download FisherJ__19.pdf (151.4 kB)

The role of education and capacity-building in water conservation/demand management

As the national Programme Leader for Community Development and Environmental Education, I have been participating in the Environmental Management Course for Engineering students at the Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town (South Africa) for a number of years. The opportunity to engage with these mostly technically-oriented students presents a unique 2-way learning opportunity for a number of reasons including the following:

• Embedding the need for holistic approaches to planning, project design, and

• Emphasising the need for multi-disciplinary interaction, particularly the inclusion of socio-economic considerations , within traditionally technocratic disciplines

• Prioritising the need for sustainable use of natural resources within industrial processes (noting that many of these students are studying while being employed at major industrial and chemical centres dealing with nuclear energy, petrol and other fuels, and so forth)

Read more or download Rodkin__27.pdf (126.9 kB)

The U.N. water virtual learning centre on integrated water resource management

The Water Virtual Learning Centre (WVLC) is a joint programme in Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) developed by the United Nations University - International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU/INWEH) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). It is designed to assist water professionals and others in the water sector to gain knowledge of IWRM as it applies to developing countries and to particular regions and environments.

Read more or download Mayfield__26.pdf (671.1 kB)

Transboundary waters - strengthening sustainability bridges via distance learning (Janot-Reine Mendler)

Distance Learning is not a replacement or a substitute for traditional learning environments, rather an adjunct offering significant geographical, pedagogical, and institutional "bridging" opportunities for strengthening individual as well as institutional capacity in sustainable and integrated water resource management. This paper draws on the experience of the CEDAR-RHUL / GEF-IW:LEARN International Waters Distance MSc pilot to illustrate a spectrum of "bridging" benefits to both learners and to educational institutions afforded by distance learning. It then examines the formation of university consortia as a promising new trend in sustainable water resource education and training, and explores the significance to individual and institutional capacity of some economic and educational value-adding aspects of distance learning.

Read more or download Mendler__38.pdf (127.5 kB)

Using ICTs for information sharing and dissemination among women in Uganda (Hadijah Namumbya)

Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) was initiated in May 2000 by several women organisations in Uganda to promote the use of ICTs among women as tools to share information and address issues collectively.

Read more or download Namumbya__19.pdf (79.0 kB)