CONCLUSION
Developing appropriate policy and management
systems is essential to enhance the value obtained
from freshwater resources and to ensure its
sustainability. This includes interventions to
strengthen governance, improve knowledge and
information systems including data collection and
monitoring and evaluation, enhance human and
institutional capacity, develop IWRM systems which
focus on catchment and basins as the management
unit, and mainstream gender. Cooperation and
partnership, between multiple stakeholders and at
multiple levels, from the local to the sub-regional to
the regional, are at the core of successful
interventions. These responses should improve the
opportunities to meet urgent needs for potable water,
sanitation, irrigation and hydropower, among others.
A critical issue that will need to be addressed
systematically is financing. The approach of the Africa
Water Vision is set out in Box 20.
| Box 20: Thematic areas towards achieving the Africa Water Vision for the year 2025 |
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Strengthening governance of water resources
- Developing and implementing institutional reform and capacitybuilding
at local, national and transboundary water basin levels;
- Using the water basin as the unit for water resource management;
- Strengthening river basin and aquifer basin management;
- Creating an enabling environment for cooperation between
countries sharing international water basins;
- Mainstreaming management at the lowest appropriate level and
creating institutional arrangements for full stakeholder participation;
and
- Liberalizing water markets while meeting the basic needs of the poor.
Improving capacity and information
- Establishing a sustainable system for data collection, management, and
dissemination, including standardization and harmonization of data;
- Building institutional and human capacity for effective water
management;
- Facilitating access to Internet services at local levels; and
- Mainstreaming gender and youth concerns in all activities.
Meeting urgent water needs
- Expanding safe water supply and sanitation services to meet basic
human needs;
- Ensuring adequate water for sustainable food security;
- Ensuring that water for the environment is adequate in quantity and
quality;
- Ensuring adequate water for economic development in the areas of
agricultural production, energy and hydropower production,
industry, tourism and transportation;
- Managing drought and desertification;
- Conserving and restoring ecosystems;
- Protecting water sheds and controlling siltation of hydraulic structures;
- Meeting the needs of rural energy supply; and
- Developing non-conventional water resources such as desalination
and re-use of water.
Strengthening the financial base for the desired future
- Mainstreaming cost-recovery and service differentiation, allowing for
a range of service options, each with its own price tag;
- Securing sustainable financing and initial donor assistance for
tackling urgent water needs;
- Securing sustainable financing for institutional reform;
- Securing sustainable financing for information generation and
management;
- Shifting from government to private sector financing in the water
sector; and
- Establishing mechanisms for sustainable financing of water
resources management.
Source: Donkor 2003
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